A city in Tunisia called a general strike to shut down a harmful factory - السلام عليكم
Assalamu alaikum. Residents of the city of Gabès in Tunisia have been demanding for the second week that a chemical plant - operating since 1972 and producing phosphate fertilizers - be closed. They link the emissions to a rise in cancer cases and respiratory illnesses and have decided to act together, demanding a halt to production.
On Tuesday a general strike began: “Everything in Gabès is closed,” said Saoussen Nouisser, head of a major union that helped organize the protests. According to him, people are outraged by the catastrophic environmental situation in the city.
In recent weeks more than 200 people have been hospitalized with respiratory problems and poisoning. Last week thousands marched calling for the plant’s closure, but police dispersed the demonstration using tear gas; in some places clashes occurred between protesters and law enforcement.
Over the weekend raids were carried out and dozens of demonstrators were detained. National Guard spokesperson Houssem Eddine Jebabli said that allegedly “more than 800 Molotov cocktails” were used against security forces, and there were incidents of looting and pillaging.
The authorities, by the way, have been promising to close the facility since 2017 and say they are taking “urgent measures.” It is planned to entrust waste processing to Chinese companies, which would be responsible for controlling emissions and preventing radioactive waste from entering the sea.
We ask Allah to protect the people and grant clean land for future generations. I hope the authorities and the community find a fair and safe solution for the health of the residents and the environment.
https://islamnews.ru/2025/10/2