Foreign Office says Britons of ‘South Asian descent’ are being turned away or DETAINED in Tunisia

Summer holidaymakers have been warned that Britons of ‘South Asian descent’ are being turned away at the country’s airports or even detained amid a state of emergency.

The Foreign Office said that British nationals have been subject to extra screening or refused entry – including at the second-biggest airport, Enfidha – on alleged security grounds, in guidance quietly updated on its website last week.

Officials added that the British Embassy had raised the issue with Tunisian authorities, but warned the Embassy is not able to override their decision-making. MailOnline has contacted the Foreign Office, the British Embassy and the Tunisian Embassy in London for further information.

Tunisia has seen a rise in racially motivated attacks following President Kais Saied’s comments in February accusing ‘hordes’ of illegal migrants of bringing violence and alleging a ‘criminal plot’ to change the country’s demographic make-up.

With a population of 12million, Tunisia hosts an estimated 21,000 migrants from other parts of Africa, representing just 0.2 per cent of the population.

The Foreign Office’s travel advice states: ‘Some British nationals of South Asian descent have been delayed, temporarily detained, or denied entry into the country by Tunisian immigration authorities at airports. This can cause distress and inconvenience. The British Embassy has raised this issue with Tunisian authorities.

‘Entry to Tunisia is decided by Tunisian authorities, and the British Embassy cannot override decisions to refuse entry.’

They added: ‘Some British nationals of South Asian descent have been subject to additional screening or refused entry by immigration authorities at airports, including Enfidha, on alleged security grounds.’

It comes a week after hundreds of Tunisians gathered in the streets and blockaded streets by burning tyres while demanding the eviction of all illegal migrants, according to AFP.

The guidance was quietly updated on the Foreign Office website last week 

Medic Lazhar Neji said between 30 and 40 migrants, including women and children, were injured after the ‘inhumane’ and ‘bloody’ attack in Sfax, Tunisia, as horrifying scenes unfolded on Tuesday July 5.

The day before residents had vowed to ‘avenge’ the death of a 41-year-old Tunisian man at his funeral after he was stabbed to death during an altercation with three suspected Cameroonian migrants.

A state of emergency has been in effect in Tunisia since a suicide attack on a police bus in 2015. It has been extended multiple times, most recently in 2022.

A new constitution was ratified in the country by President Kais Saied in 2022 following the suspension of parliament in 2021 and its dissolution a year later. The new parliament re-opened in March 2023 following elections in December 2022 and January 2023.