Tunisia on Saturday ordered the expulsion of European trade union chief Esther Lynch after she took part in nationwide protests against the government organized by the country̵7;s Union Générale Tunisienne du Travail (UGTT).
one in statement Late Saturday, Tunisian President Kais Saied declared Lynch “persona non grata”, giving Lynch 24 hours to leave the country. He had made “statements that clearly interfered in Tunisian internal affairs,” he said.
Protesters took to the streets on Saturday over Syed’s policies, which they see as an assault on union rights.
As head of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), Lynch was in Tunisian city of Sfax and gave a speech to the protesters.
“The decision to deport Esther Lynch is an affront that does not respect Tunisia and will harm its interests,” UGTT spokesman Sami Tahiri said in a post shared on the organization’s website. facebook page, “Whoever advises the president on this decision puts him in conflict with the trade union movement in the world.”
He confirmed that Lynch would return to Europe on Sunday.