In a context of growing violence, black Tunisian women denounce a racist climate in the country

A racist climate seems to have developed in Tunisia in recent days. At the end of a National Security Council held on February 21, Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed issued a press release to find “urgent solutions” against sub-Saharan immigration. He attributes the problems of insecurity to migrants and denounces a “Criminal plan to change the composition of the demographic landscape”as reported Publication.

Facial checks and physical violence

Since then, attacks and arbitrary arrests of black people have multiplied. Many facts of racial profiling and physical violence against migrants and/or people of color have been documented on social networks.

Faced with this, many Tunisian women have denounced the violence. Since February 25, it has been in the form of a hashtag “My documents about me, you never know” on Facebook, warning of the increase in racist violence in the country. The campaign, which has gone viral, consists of taking a photo of themselves with their Tunisian identity document on their forehead, inviting black Tunisian women to do so. The organizer of this initiative, Maha Abdelhamid, is a member of the feminist collective Voice of Black Tunisian Womenas reported France 24.

Protesters ask Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed for an “apology”.

Their goal? They express their solidarity with sub-Saharan migrants, the target of the campaign of arrests and xenophobic political speeches, but also of the violence suffered by blacks throughout the country, whether they are Tunisian or not.

In addition to the complaints on social networks, several hundred demonstrators protested this Saturday February 25 in Tunis against racism and a speech “fascist” towards migrants from sub-Saharan African countries. They ask President Kaïs Saïed to apologize to the country’s black community.