A GENERAL strike brought the southern Tunisian city of Gabes to a standstill on Tuesday as anger deepened over pollution from a state-run chemical plant.

Shops, schools and cafes shut down in response to a call by the UGTT union, with protesters chanting: “Gabes wants to live” and demanding the dismantling of the CGT phosphate plant, blamed for widespread illness and environmental destruction.

“Everything is closed in Gabes,” said local UGTT representative Saoussen Nouisser. “We’re all angry at the catastrophic environmental situation in our marginalised city.”

Residents and activists say the plant, opened in 1972, has poisoned the sea, land and air, causing rising cancer and respiratory illness rates. More than 200 people have recently been hospitalised for gas exposure, according to NGOs.

UGTT secretary-general Sami al-Tahiri said the strike had “succeeded across all segments of the population,” warning that Tunisians were “prepared to struggle for their legitimate demands.”

President Kais Saied called the situation an “environmental assassination,” blaming past governments.

His administration has recently moved to boost phosphate production.