False and misleading social media videos about migrants from sub-Saharan Africa in Tunisia have been widely shared amid a wave of anti-migrant sentiment in that country.
President Kais Saied of Tunisia said migration was a “plot” to change the country’s demographic profile, and Ivory Coast and Guinea have begun repatriating their nationals due to fears for their safety.
We’ve looked at several videos circulating online that claim to show African migrants in Tunisia, all of which are actually filmed elsewhere.
Several TikTok videos posted recently show large groups running along a street in what appears to be an angry protest.
One of the videos, with millions of views, is labelled in Arabic: “Tunisia under occupation”. Another one says: “Tunisia has become the kingdom of Africans.”
But the event shown happened in Dakar, the capital of Senegal.
This is clear from a distinctive obelisk, which can be seen at one point as the person filming moves around. It’s in the Place de l’Obélisque in the Senegalese capital, visible on Google Maps.
In addition, the Senegalese flag can be seen, and we’ve confirmed that the language heard is Wolof, a Senegalese national language.
We traced the event back to an opposition protest held in Dakar in June 2022, video of which can be seen here.
There are other TikTok videos falsely claiming that street protests involving African migrants are happening in Tunisia.
One widely shared example shows groups of people who appear to be from sub-Saharan Africa confronting drivers and bystanders on a busy road with cars at a standstill.
BBC News