In Gabès, Tunisia, a green ammonia plant project is reigniting anger in a city already suffocating from phosphate industry pollution. United behind these demands, the population fears police repression.
Sitting in front of a barbershop in the working-class neighborhood of Menzel, a group of young men seek shelter from the stifling heat in Gabès, southeastern Tunisia. “Here, the pollution makes it even harder to breathe,” says Ahmad [*], 24, clutching his throat with his hands. The young man proudly wears the red and black jersey of Avenir Sportif de Gabès (ASG), one of the city’s two football clubs, in a town of 107,000 residents.
The surrounding walls are covered in graffiti by ASG ultras. Some express love for the club, others criticize police violence—but many condemn environmental degradation in a region heavily affected by the activities of the Tunisian Chemical Group (GCT), a state-owned phosphate industry company. “It’s our right and our duty to care about the pollution problem,” Ahmad says.
source: reporterre
