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Outrage is spreading globally over a viral video showing a group of Tunisian security agents raining vicious baton blows on an unarmed African at the Tunis-Carthage Airport.
The unidentified man, believed to be a stranded Senegalese Tunisair passenger, can be seen unsuccessfully trying to block and evade the blows coming from every direction. His situation became even more precarious when one officer put him in a chokehold and violently tackled him to the ground. Once on the ground, other officers swarmed and bludgeoned him indiscriminately all over his body before handcuffing him and marching him out of sight.
Other passengers can be heard proclaiming the man’s innocence according to the New Arab report.
Appel à témoins????
Qui pour nous aider à faire circuler cette vidéo et retrouver les autres angles sous lesquels cette scène a été filmée ?
Les faits se seraient déroulés ce mercredi 06-07-22 à l’aéroport de Tunis où #Tunisair fait vivre l’enfer à ses passagers sénégalais …???? pic.twitter.com/zFoRasaV9l— Demba Gueye (@dembagueye) July 7, 2022
Demba Gueye, a Senegalese businessman with more than 80 thousand followers on Twitter, said he’s concerned about the man’s safety and is demanding to know his whereabouts.
“Whether he is Senegalese or not, this gentleman attacked by more than a dozen men armed with clubs and other weapons must imperatively be found to prevent the worst from happening. His very violent exfiltration does not bode well,” Gueye said in a tweet translated from French to English.
Africans in Tunisia complain authorities there are racist and often discriminate against them.
Racism and discrimination against sub-Saharan Africans are prevalent in Arab countries and many parts of the world.
Last month, at least 23 immigrants died attempting to cross the border from Morocco into a Spanish enclave called Melilla.
Video from the scene captured Moroccan security officers bludgeoning, kicking, and shoving the immigrants into a pile, lying in a pool of blood. The actual death toll from the incident is unclear, but some human rights activists claim the death toll could be much higher than the numbers Moroccan and Spain governments have reported.
Photos from the incident show dozens of Africans lying motionless on the ground in a pool of blood, with security forces walking among them. Looking at the photos, it’s impossible to tell whether they’re dead or alive.
The activists accused the Moroccan and Spanish authorities of a cover-up, saying they had not conducted any autopsies to establish their cause of death.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the Melillah incident.
“I am shocked by the violence on the Nador-Melilla border on Friday, which resulted in the deaths of dozens of migrants and asylum seekers. The use of excessive force is unacceptable, and the human rights and dignity of people on the move must be prioritized by countries,” Guterres said in a tweet.
But the UN Chief’s reprimand sounds hollow, especially considering the many incidents of discrimination Africans endure globally without any meaningful intervention from the UN.
At the onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Africans living in Ukraine faced discrimination while attempting the flee the conflict. Many Africans reported that Ukrainian authorities prioritized White people boarding the buses transporting civilians to safety over Africans and Indians.
Following the incident in Tunis, outraged people on social media are calling for action to protect Africans from discrimination as such attacks.
The video blow is restricted because of the violent content. Views must be 18 to watch as per YouTube rules
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