Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur urges 'dignity' amid migrants storm

Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur spoke out against "discrimination" on Wednesday, a week after President Kais Saied ordered "urgent measures" against irregular sub-Saharan migrants, sparking mass evictions and international criticism.

"Today is #ZeroDiscriminationDay. As a proud Tunisian, Arab and African woman I celebrate the right of everyone to live with dignity," Jabeur tweeted.

She also shared a picture of a Tunisian stamp from 1961, celebrating "Africa Day".

Saied last week accused sub-Saharan African migrants of bringing a wave of "violence and crime" to the North African country and representing a "criminal plot" to change its demographic make-up.

Rights groups have criticised his comments as "racist" and accuse him of sparking violence against migrants.

Hundreds of West Africans, evicted in recent days by landlords fearing heavy fines for hosting undocumented migrants, have flocked to their embassies in Tunis to seek repatriation.

Another Tunisian sports figure, Radhi Jaidi, who comes from the black community that makes up around a tenth of the country's 12 million population, also voiced solidarity with migrants over the weekend.

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