During Monday’s World Cup qualifier between Tunisia and Malawi, a Tunisian activist staged a bold protest by tearing down a Carrefour banner while holding a Palestinian flag — a public denunciation of the French retail giant’s alleged complicity with the Israeli occupation. The protester was swiftly arrested by Tunisian police.

The incident comes amid rising regional and international pressure on companies seen to be supporting or profiting from Israel’s ongoing occupation of Palestinian land. Earlier this year, Carrefour announced the closure of its branches in Oman following sustained boycott efforts. In 2023, it similarly withdrew from the Jordanian market in response to mounting public pressure.

Carrefour has become a major target of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which accuses the company of direct business ties with Israeli firms operating in illegal settlements. These include Electra Consumer Products, which has known links to Israel’s military and surveillance infrastructure, and supermarket chain Yenot Bitan, which operates within settlements established in violation of international law in the occupied West Bank.

Human rights groups argue that Carrefour’s partnerships facilitate the economic entrenchment of Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise and contribute to the systemic oppression of Palestinians.

The protest reflects the growing wave of international solidarity with the Palestinian struggle and renewed calls for corporate accountability.