Are blacks welcome in Tunisia?

On Thursday, March 9 at 19:30 GMT:
Activists in Tunisia are raising the alarm by an increase in racist violence and hate speech against sub-Saharan African migrants and refugees residing in the country. The increasingly inflammatory rhetoric has also been accompanied by repression of migrants marked by arrests, detentions and evictions.

The outrage follows recent statements by Tunisian President Kais Saied advocating what protesters they are saying is xenophobic and anti-black racist rhetoric. president said reclaimed that the presence of migrants is part of a plot to change the demographic composition of the country. After the backlash, he made a statement denouncing racism and announcing changes to visa rules for African citizens.

While activists are skeptical of his ads, the rhetoric, the critics say, It is similar to the “great replacement theory”; a popular conspiracy theory among nationalists used to stoke populist and xenophobic support.

This comes at a time when the economic, political and social stability of the country continues to decline major analysts to see the turn against migrants and refugees as a brazen effort to scapegoat the country’s recession.

Anti-black racism and anti-immigrant sentiment has long been a simmering issue in the country and, in solidarity, many Tunisians are taking to the streets and social media to protest in support of immigrants and share their own experiences with anti-black racism in Tunisia.

In response, countries and international bodies alike have condemned the violence and the speech. He world Bank is pausing future work with the country, the african union has issued a statement denouncing the treatment of migrants, and several sub-Saharan countries have begun repatriation of citizens who wish to leave Tunisia.

In this episode of The Stream, we’ll look at what’s driving racism and violence against black people in Tunisia.

In this episode of The Stream, we speak to:
Elizia Volkman @EliziaVolkmann
Journalist

Khawla Ksiksi
Activist and co-founder of Voices of Black Tunisian Women

Amna Guellali @aguellaa
Deputy Regional Director for MENA, Amnesty International