Field Watch

Field Watch

Unequal Distribution of Shelters: Undermining Shared Social Responsibility

Beirut has 114 designated shelters for displaced individuals, including public schools, private educational centers, and other facilities. These shelters are housing around 40,000 displaced people, mostly in crowded areas like Mazraa, Ras Beirut, …

Field Watch

The displaced bring life back to a vacant building on Jeanne d’Arc Street

فُتح مبنى خالِ في شارع جان دارك لاستقبال النازحين جرّاء الحرب الإسرائيلية. إلّا أن الإعلام ضجّ استنكاراً لما اعتبره تعدٍ على الأملاك الخاصة وحقوق كبار رجال الأعمال، بدلاً من الاحتفال بتحويل الشقق الفارغة التي بُنِيَت على أنقاض النسيج العمراني الاجتماعي للأحياء، إلى مساكن تلعب دورها الاجتماعي الحقيقي في تأمين المأوى خاصة في أوقات الحرب والأزمات.

Field Watch

 Horsh Beirut Closed Again

On July 24, 2024, the Beirut Governor approved the closure of Horsh Beirut only allowing the entry of visitors who obtain prior permission. This illegal closure is nothing but a confirmation of the state’s failure to open, manage, and guard municipal parks and enhance their role as public spaces open to all residents of the city.

Field Watch

The secondhand market in Tripoli: 

The municipality 'cleans' the city of its poor

Starting Saturday June 29, and over several consecutive days, the secondhand market in Tripoli witnessed a full removal process, as part of the campaign to remove public property violations in Tripoli. This removal …

Field Watch

Roof Collapse in Al Basha Neighborhood:

Absence of Safe Housing Options Kills Residents

A tragic roof collapse in Beirut’s Al Basha neighbourhood exposed the harsh realities of Lebanon’s housing crisis. The incident claimed the lives of a mother and her child,  highlighting the struggles of low-income …

Field Watch

Young men raided the Beirut Horsh and the municipality rewards them

In April 2024, a group of young men from Tariq Al-Jadida raided Horsh Beirut to apprehend youths accused of drug use and trafficking by entering the Horsh through gaps in its fence, following …

Field Watch

The Collapse of the Rishani Building in Chouaifat Exposes the Failures of the Owner, Municipality, and the General Directorate for Urban Planning

Just about a week after the complete collapse of a building in Sahra Chouaifat, another tragedy struck on Monday, February 19, 2024. The Rishani building in the Ain neighbourhood of Chouaifat collapsed on …

Field Watch

Collapse in al-Meselmani building in al-‘Hayy al-Gharbi:

10 families were displaced

Part of the Al-Meselmani building, in Al-’Hayy al-Gharbi extending between Chatila Camp and the Sports Stadium, collapsed on Saturday morning. As a result, ten families who had lived in the building for about …

Field Watch

An application to monitor Syrian Refugees:

turning every citizen into a fascist

Taking advantage of the crime of killing a member of the Beirut Guard Regiment in Gemmayzeh, a Beirut MP launched an application to report Syrian refugees in Beirut. MP Ghassan Hasbani – the …

Field Watch

Another collapse in Mansourieh, and the state deals with it as an individual case

As torrents swept through diverse Lebanese regions, residents of one of the Nada 3 complex buildings are living under the threat of falling rocks. The residents had to evacuate, sometimes sleeping in cars, …

Field Watch

Mass Eviction in Bir Hassan:

the State Continues to Disregard the Rights of Residents in Informal Neighborhoods

In Bir Hassan, a building where many have found refuge during the Lebanese war now faces eviction after years of neglect. Originally housing war-displaced residents, the building’s new owners aim to evict the …

Field Watch

Sawfar – Beirut Line

In this field watch, Lebanese artist and activist Khaled Fayad reflects on his personal experience with the challenges of transportation in the town of Sawfar. Fayad, who has a fear of driving, has …