Tunisia migrant camp: Police dismantle refugee camp outside UN building
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Transcript
00:00 In this amateur video filmed by a migrant from Guinea on Tuesday, April 11, men, women
00:06 and children in Tunis flee the smoke from police tear gas.
00:10 Police force them from their sit-in outside of the office of the United Nations High Commission
00:13 for Refugees.
00:15 The following day, we track down some of those chased away.
00:17 Awdia from Darfur in Sudan doesn't know where to go anymore.
00:22 It's been weeks that we've had nothing to eat.
00:24 We can't anymore.
00:25 We live in the street, hungry.
00:29 The Tunisian government says that refugees were moved after the UN High Commissioner
00:32 complained that some were trying to enter the building.
00:35 Authorities also accused migrants of vandalizing nearby cars.
00:38 Nasra from Yemen had to evacuate the area with her six children.
00:43 You think we want to stay here?
00:44 We're asking everyone to be evacuated to another country.
00:47 No one wants to stay here.
00:50 In this camp in front of the International Organization for Migration, many have been
00:53 waiting for help for months.
00:55 In February, we met Mohamed, who was sleeping there with his brothers.
00:58 He had been evicted after a racially charged speech by President Kaysiyeh had sparked a
01:02 wave of persecution of black African migrants.
01:07 It's really hard, but we have to be brave.
01:09 Today, the situation hasn't changed much.
01:11 He's still in limbo.
01:12 I can't even stand Ramadan.
01:13 The whole place is dirty.
01:14 We don't live in good conditions.
01:20 Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights fears the latest unrest could spark more
01:24 public backlash against migrants.
01:27 It's not just the images of Tunisian citizens' cars being broken that were published by the
01:31 Interior Ministry or by Tunisian media.
01:34 OK, we stand with those people, but we aren't going to use those images and this rhetoric
01:38 to adopt discriminatory and racist rhetoric against migrants and refugees.
01:44 The UNHCR issued a statement condemning what it called violent protests of migrants entering
01:48 its premises, but added that it understood their fears and frustrations.