Tunisian President Kais Saied on Sunday denied racism accusations and warned perpetrators of racial attacks of legal consequences, reported Reuters.
The statement comes more than a week after Mr. Saied accused African migrants of being part of a conspiracy to change Tunisia’s demographics amid a crackdown on migrants, sparking criticism by human rights groups.
According to rights groups, a number of sub-Saharan African people have been subjected to detentions, abuse, and evictions from their houses following the Tunisian president’s remarks.
Back in 2021, Saied shut down the elected parliament, dismissed the government, seized most of the powers, moved to rule the country by decree, and even rewrote the constitution, steps the opposition including the main political parties described as a coup.
He claimed that all of his actions were legal and were required to save Tunisia from chaos.
On Sunday, the Tunisian president said that the sources of the alleged racism campaign are known, without elaborating. He added that Tunisia was honored to be an African country noting that the country was one of the founding states of the Organisation of African Unity which later became the African Union.
He also announced a relaxation of visa rules for African citizens, allowing stays of up to six months instead of three without seeking residency, and of a year for students.
Opposition parties and rights groups have said the Tunisian president’s clampdown on immigrants was aimed at distracting people from the country’s economic crisis.
On Sunday, hundreds of opposition supporters in Tunisia defied an official ban on their protest and broke through security barriers, rallying on the main street of Central Tunis. The protesters called for the release of arrested and detained opposition figures deemed critical of Mr. Saied and also expressed their outrage against racist attacks taking place in the country.
