Tunisians protest against Maersk

Dozens of protesters gathered Saturday outside Maersk’s office in Tunis’s southern Al-Karm district, demanding the Danish shipping company cease operations in Tunisia over allegations it transports weapons to Israel.

The demonstration, organised by “Joint Action for Palestine”, saw activists chanting “Long live Palestine” and “No Zionist ships in Tunisian waters.” Protesters called for the closure of the company’s local operations.

The protest follows claims by four Tunisian organisations that authorities permitted a Maersk vessel to traverse national waters after it was reportedly denied entry to Spanish ports. The ship had docked at Morocco’s Tangier Med port, according to the organisations’ joint statement.

The groups have called on Tunisia’s presidency, government, and defence and foreign ministries to clarify reports about “the use of territorial waters for vessels carrying weapons to Israel.” They specifically mentioned the ships Maersk Denver and Maersk Centar.

“We completely reject the use of our territorial waters to support the genocide of the Palestinian people,” the statement read, urging authorities to exercise sovereignty by blocking all vessels bound for Israel, “regardless of cargo type, particularly weapons and military materials.”