Marble bust of Hannibal Barca, ca. 3rd century BCE

Denzel Washington's casting as Hannibal in upcoming Netflix movie sparks race row in Tunisia

Netflix are accused of making a potential 'historical error' in casting Denzel Washington as historic military leader Hannibal
It comes after the streaming giant sparked outrage by casting a black actress as Egyptian empress Cleopatra

Netflix's decision to cast Denzel Washington as historic military leader Hannibal in its upcoming blockbuster has sparked a furious race row in Tunisia.

The streaming giant is accused of making a potential 'historical error' in casting Washington, who is black, as the ancient Carthaginian general.

Netflix's decision to cast Denzel Washington as historic military leader Hannibal in its upcoming blockbuster has sparked a furious race row in Tunisia.

The streaming giant is accused of making a potential 'historical error' in casting Washington, who is black, as the ancient Carthaginian general.

Outrage over the casting spilled into Tunisian parliament and sparked an online petition calling on Tunisia's Ministry of Culture to 'take action against the attempt to steal our history.'

The controversy in the African nation comes months after nearby Egypt was also embroiled in a Netflix scandal over docudrama 'Cleopatra', which was accused of 'blackwashing' after hiring a black actress to play the Macedonian-Greek empress.

Denzel Washington (pictured in April 2023) has been cast as ancient military leader Hannibal for an upcoming Netflix blockbuster, sparking fury in Tunisia, where Carthage was located

Hannibal was a Carthaginian general famed for leading his army - including African war elephants - across the Alps as he laid siege to the Roman Empire in 218 BC. Hannibal is shown counting the rings of Roman nobles killed at the battle of Cannae.

The row over Washington's selection in the film's lead role sparked a wave of criticism online, which then erupted in the halls of the Tunisian parliament, according to French outlet Courrier International.

Tunisian Member of Parliament Yassine Mami argued that the chamber 'needs to take a position on this subject', as he felt 'there is a risk of falsifying history.'

'This is about defending Tunisian identity and listening to the reactions of civil society,' he said.

Tunisian newspaper La Presse also took a public stance against Washington's casting in an editorial, claiming that the decision is 'according to Tunisians and many observers, a historical error.'

Washington is set to team up with director Anthony Fuqua in the film, the latest in a long line of collaborations between the pair.

Hannibal was born in 247 BC and was of West Asian Semitic origin, being born in the region of Carthage - now Tunis, the capital of Tunisia.

He is considered by many historians to be among the greatest military leaders in history, and his career included a famous siege of Rome in 218 BC when he led African war elephants across the Alps.

Denzel Washington (right) is set to team up again with director Antoine Fuqua (left) in the blockbuster Hannibal. The two have collaborated a number of times

Hannibal was of West Asian Semitic origin, and was born in the region of Carthage - now Tunis, the capital of Tunisia

Experts agree that he was of Phoenician heritage.

Tunisia's outrage at the casting has come at a time of heightened racial tensions in the nation, which has seen President Kais Saied allege that sub-Saharan migrants are flooding the nation to turn the majority-Arab nation 'purely African.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12855365/Netflix-Denzel-Washington-Hannibal-Tunisia.html

Tunisians vowed to 'avenge' the death of a 41-year-old Tunisian man after he was stabbed to death during an altercation with three suspected Cameroonian migrants

Hundreds of Tunisians gathered in the streets and blockaded streets by burning tyres while demanding the eviction of all illegal migrants.

Dozens of African migrants were left injured after being thrown from balconies and attacked with 'swords'.

Police chased dozens of migrants from their homes to the cheers of city residents, before loading them into police cars.

Footage showed migrants lying on the ground, their hands on their heads, surrounded by residents armed with sticks, who waited for police to arrive to hand them over.

Police then detained some migrants and deported them as far away as the Libyan border, more than 200 miles away.

President Kais Saied accused hordes of illegal migrants of bringing violence and alleged a 'criminal plot' to change the country's demographic make-up.

He ordered security forces to expel any migrants living in Tunisia illegally.