Over the past week, Gabès, in Tunisia, has seen a dramatic escalation in social unrest centered on anti-pollution protests targeting a phosphate-processing plant. The movement—rising amid mounting health concerns linked to toxic gas releases and hazardous industrial waste—has prompted widespread demonstrations, especially among youth and local residents.
Legal sources say 89 people have appeared before the public prosecutor since October 14, including about 20 minors. Another group of detainees is expected to be presented to the court today, Monday, October 20, indicating the ongoing nature of the crackdown. Of those arrested or presented, 15 demonstrators have been released pending trial but face charges of “participating in a gathering liable to disturb public order.” Five people remain in pre-trial detention, while three protesters have been transferred to the judicial counter-terrorism unit—highlighting the gravity with which authorities are treating the unrest.
There has been a surge of arrests, particularly targeting night-time protesters, with reports indicating over 100 individuals detained by early Saturday—some taken directly from their homes. Demonstrations have been largely peaceful during the day, but clashes often erupt after dark, leading to burning tires and forceful dispersion by security forces.
Significant numbers of local residents—including schoolchildren—have suffered health impacts from recent chemical releases, prompting further outrage. At least 122 people were reported treated or hospitalized for symptoms including suffocation and numbness in recent days, according to local officials and media coverage.
The protests have struck a nerve in Gabès, a city of over 400,000 people, placing renewed pressure on the Tunisian government. President Kais Saied has called high-level meetings around the Gabès environmental crisis, committed to urgent solutions, and ordered the resumption of phosphate production with plans to ramp up output five-fold by 2030—despite a 2017 pledge to gradually close the facility
Human rights groups have condemned what they call disproportionate repression of the movement, flagging arrests and prosecutions as part of a broader pattern since Tunisia’s recent authoritarian turn. Several local NGOs demand long-term dismantling of polluting plants and a regional development alternative, while activists accuse authorities of downplaying health risks and suppressing dissent
