Supporters of Abir Moussi’s Free Destourian Party (PDL) demonstrated on Thursday near the headquarters of the Italian Embassy in Tunisia against an “agreement that has been swept under the carpet” between Tunisia and Europe on the issue of migration.
We are here, gathered in front of the headquarters of the Italian embassy in Tunis to denounce, challenge and decry “an agreement on irregular migration concluded in the dark rooms”, said the President of the PDL.
The agreement, which Abir Moussi claims was “passed over in silence and without the knowledge of public opinion”, comes as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni visited Tunis on Sunday.
In this regard, Moussi spoke out frankly against any agreement on irregular migration concluded by the Tunisian state in the darkrooms, the content and clauses of which have not been made public.
She also stressed that her party would no longer accept Tunisia being set up as a “hot spot” for “sorting transit applications”, recalling that this measure was a key point in Meloni’s election manifesto.
Moussi also criticised the heavy security presence around the Italian embassy in Tunis, saying that this was an attempt to prevent her party from demonstrating despite the fact that the relevant authorities had been duly notified.
Security officials had asked the PDL leaders and their supporters to leave on the pretext that their rally was unauthorised.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse