Tens of thousands of Tunisians attended a march in their country's capital, Tunis, on Sunday to denounce extremist violence following the attack on the National Bardo Museum.

Waving Tunisian flags and carrying banners reading "Together against terrorism", the demonstrators marched through central Tunis, by the site of the deadly March 18 shooting that claimed twenty-two lives of mainly foreign tourists, as well as two gunmen.

French President Francois Hollande, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and several foreign ministers and legislators from other countries are joining an anti-terrorism ceremony in Tunis after the march.

The Tunisian government called on all major political parties to join the march from the seat of government at Bab Es-Saadoun to the museum.

Speaking on Sunday morning before heading to Tunisia, Hollande said it was important to show solidarity with Tunisia, which became the latest victim of extremist violence and was the country that led the Arab Spring revolt across the region.

As a result of the 2011 revolution, Tunisia built a democratic system, which was deeply shaken by the museum attack, for which the Islamic State group claimed responsibility.

AP TELEVISION

Tunis, Tunisia - 29 March 2015

1. Various of demonstrators holding Tunisian flags and red banners marching to denounce extremist violence following Bardo museum attack

2. Demonstrators chanting

3. Demonstrators holding banner reading (English) "Not afraid"

4. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mohamed El Aouni, psychologist, local resident:

"The terrorist who sees that (the march) will think a lot. It (terrorism) will not stop and it did not stop even in the big countries. But it will be different in every country."

5. Demonstrators holding flags and banner reading (English) "Together against terrorism"

6. Police monitoring march

7. People waving Tunisian flags

8. Demonstrators holding banner reading (French) "We are Bardo"

9. Demonstrators at march

10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Nizar Deli, nurse, local resident:

"We come here today to try to cure an injury of our country and to stay united after terrorism. And us, as health workers, we help, we cope and help the injured of this country. They call us the angels of mercy and I hope that it is true. "

11. Girls singing national anthem

12. Man chanting slogans denouncing extremist violence

13. Demonstrators during march

14. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Douja Oueslati, clerk, local resident:

"We are against violence, we are all Bardo and we are all Charlie. Tunisia is accustomed to freedom and democracy. No to terrorism. Down with terrorism."

15. Demonstrators marching

POOL

Tulle, France - 29 March 2015

16. SOUNDBITE (French) Francois Hollande, French President:

"Of course it's (Tunis march) important. It's important because it's a demonstration of solidarity and we had four French people killed there (in Tunisia), victims of terrorism. So it was necessary to participate in the march. The Tunisians wanted France to be present and France wanted to stand side-by-side with the Tunisians, who let's not forget, began the Arab Spring and were victims with many other citizens from different countries of a heinous terrorist act. There will be several heads of state and government present in Tunis. I will be going in a few hours and we will march. Let us not forget what happened on 11 January (Charlie Hebdo attacks), a demonstration of solidarity for France and the values it represents, well today it is for Tunisia and also the values they represent in the Arab world and beyond."

AP TELEVISION

Tunis, Tunisia - 29 March 2015

17. Various of increased security presence in central Tunis, outside parliament buildings

18. Helicopter flying overhead

Governments around the world have stepped up their security measures in the wake of the recent extremist attacks in France.

But Tunisia hasn't felt the need to follow suit.

They say they've been working in a heightened security situation for the past few years, as political assassinations and attacks on soldiers continue in the country.

A counter-terrorism operation in action last October.

In two separate raids, police say they successfully targeted suspected Islamic militants.

It's part of an ongoing attempt to flush out radicalisation in Tunisia - and seems all the more urgent as Europe tries to deal with the aftermath of the recent attacks in France.

Countries across Europe have raised their terror warnings after the deadly attacks, that spanned three days, left 17 people dead.

On 6 January Brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi killed 12 people at the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and were later killed by French counter-terrorism police after a three-day man hunt.

Authorities say five people including four hostages at a kosher market in Paris, were murdered by a third gunman, Amedy Coulibaly, before he too was killed by police.

Since then counter-terrorism operations have been ongoing in the UK, France, Belgium and Greece.

But Sahbi Jouini, who represents the National Union of Tunisian Security Forces Unions says in Tunisia, the country's forces are always on high alert.

"In Tunisia, we don't change our strategies because of events. The danger is here, we're convinced of that and our levels of readiness and carefulness are at the highest level. We've had sixteen soldiers killed," he says.

He's talking about June 2014's ambush on soldiers near Mount Chaambi, in the region of Kasserine in the south of the country.

An extremist group believed to be linked to al-Qaida's North African arm said it was behind the attacks on two army posts on Mount Chaambi during a Ramadan feast.

Eight soldiers were killed in a similar ambush in the same area in 2013.

Militants have been operating in that part of the country for a number of years, using the mountainous region as a safe haven.

Smugglers working in Libya and Algeria, coupled with Libya's deteriorating security situation have also kept Tunisia's security forces on their toes.

Since then, military operations have been launched to counter these attacks and dismantle the militant groups.

"The security success in Tunisia is the pre-emptive operations that we made, when we uncover the cells and the threats before their realisation and before they manage to prepare their operation. We discovered them, we seized cars, we arrested people and we dismantled cells," says Jouini.

While the forces may be doing what they can on the ground, Tunisia's government is looking at how to strengthen anti-terror law in parliament.

The country's Prime Minister, Mehdi Jomaa, says it will take some time.

"We launched some structuring projects to modernise the interior security and the army. It's more than just equipment but real systems such as information, communication and border protection systems," he says.

"It will give a sense of structure for the coming years, it's very ambitious but it will allow a mutation of the technical means and the efficiency."

One of the main concerns is that Tunisia could become a target for militants linked to more extremist ideological groups, like some of those operating in Libya and Syria.

Dr. Alaya Allani is a specialist in Islamist movements in North Africa.

He believes the government can do more to prevent future action by these groups - and that it doesn't necessarily have to be through force.

The Kasserine region, for example, is poor and rural and many of the local population feel marginalised by the national government.

More engagement with them could be the key, says Allani.

"The next government should make some progress in the fields of regional development, reforming the education system, better controlling the mosques and also imposing the presence of the state in all the regions of the country."

But members of the security forces, like Jouini, believe an international approach could be best to tackle the threat.

He says Europe will only be able to prevent attacks at home if they focus on countries like Tunisia and Libya and help support local security forces who are already fighting extremism.

"The reality today is that we have to invite people in the European Union and particularly in France to support the Tunisian security forces because it's considered to be the front line of the fight against terrorist crimes that will target France from Tunisia," he says.

AP Television

FILE: Oued Ellil, Tunisia - 23 October 2014

1. Tunisian security forces on a roof

2. Security forces on street next to surrounded house UPSOUND: gun shots

3. Various of security forces and national guards in street

Tunis, Tunisia -15 January 2015

4. Wide exterior of the National Union of Tunisian Security Forces Unions

5. Close-up of sign that reads (Arabic/French) "National Union of Tunisian Security Forces Unions"

6. Set-up of Sahbi Jouini, Secretary General of the National Union of Tunisian Security Forces Unions

7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Sahbi Jouini, Secretary General of the National Union of Tunisian Security Forces Unions:

"In Tunisia, we don't change our strategies because of events. The danger is here, we're convinced of that and our levels of readiness and carefulness are at the highest level. We've had sixteen soldiers killed (during ambush in June 2014)."

Bouhaira, Tunisia - 11 January 2015

8. Various of Mount Chaambi area

9. Mid of National Guard soldier

FILE: Tunis, Tunisia - 18 July 2014

10. Mid of commemorative tombs in Martyrs Cemetery

11. Mid of soldiers marching

12. Mid of Tunisian officials, including Tunisian Defence Minister Ghazi Jeribi (far left) and Tunisian Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa (far right)

13. Wide of military tribute to 16 soldiers who were killed in ambush near Mount Chaambi

14. Mid of soldiers holding Tunisian flag

Tunis, Tunisia - 15 January 2015

15. Close up of sign reading: (Arabic) "Secretary General - National Union of Tunisian Security Forces Unions"

16. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Sahbi Jouini, Secretary General of the National Union of Tunisian Security Forces Unions:

"The security success in Tunisia is the pre-emptive operations that we made, when we uncover the cells and the threats before their realisation and before they manage to prepare their operation. We discovered them, we seized cars, we arrested people and we dismantled cells."

Tunis, Tunisia - 2 January 2015

17. Various of exterior of Prime Minister's office

18. Set-up of Jomaa (right)

19. SOUNDBITE (French) Mehdi Jomaa, Prime Minister:

"We launched some structuring projects to modernise the interior security and the army. It's more than just equipment but real systems such as information, communication and border protection systems. It will give a sense of structure for the coming years, it's very ambitious but it will allow a mutation of the technical means and the efficiency."

FILE: Tunis, Tunisia - 12 December 2014

20. Set-up of Dr. Alaya Allani, Professor of History at Tunis University and specialist of Islamist movements in North Africa, taking a seat

21. Various of Allani

22. SOUNDBITE (French) Dr. Alaya Allani, Professor of History at Tunis University and specialist of Islamist movements in North Africa:

"The next government should make some progress in the fields of regional development, reforming the education system, better controlling the mosques and also imposing the presence of the state in all the regions of the country."

Tunis, Tunisia - 15 January 2015

23. Various of Jouini

24. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Sahbi Jouini, Secretary General of the National Union of Tunisian Security Forces Unions:

"The reality today is that we have to invite people in the European Union and particularly in France to support the Tunisian security forces because it's considered to be the front line of the fight against terrorist crimes that will target France from Tunisia."

FILE: Oued Ellil, Tunisia - 23 October 2014

25. Various of military presence at the scene of a counter-terrorism operation

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve hosted a roundtable meeting of interior ministers in Paris on Sunday to coordinate counter-terrorism measures.

US Attorney General Eric Holder and EU Counter-terrorism chief Gilles de Kerchove joined Cazeneuve and representatives from 12 other countries to discuss ways of preventing future attacks.

The attack against French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday left 12 dead and began an 3-day man chase that resulted in the death of five others.

Bernard Cazeneuve was due to make a statement following the meeting.

AP TELEVISION

Paris - 11 January 2015

1. Wide shot of Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve arriving on foot

2. Arrival of the vehicle carrying Eric Holder, United States Attorney General

3. Medium shot of Holder and Cazeneuve shaking hands

4. Wide shot of cars coming in

5. Thomas de Maiziere Interior Minister of Germany, shakes hands with Cazeneuve

6. Wide shot of car coming in

7. Canada's Public Safety minister Stephen Blaney hugs Cazeneuve

8. Cutaway of a guard

9. Medium shot of the arrival of Gilles de Kerchove, European Union Counter Terrorism Coordinator

10. Wide shot of car arriving

11. Arrival of Jan Jambon, Belgian Interior Minister

12. Danish delegation vehicle arriving

13. Arrival of Mette Friederiksen, Danish Minister of Justice.

14. Arrival of the spanish delegation vehicle.

15. Medium of Spanish Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz hugging Cazeneuve.

16. Wide of cars arriving from faraway

17. Arrival of Angelino Alfano, Italy's interior minister on foot

18. Arrival of Ivo Opstelten, Dutch Minister of Security

19. Cutaway of a guard

20. Wide shot of the UK delegation arrival on foot

21. Close up of Bernard Cazeneuve and United Kingdom Home Secretary Theresa May walking then shaking hands

22. Wide shot of the roundtable meeting of ministers

23. Close up of the American delegation including Eric Holder

24. Close up of French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve.

25. Wide moving shot of the roundtable as media ushered out