On May 19, 2023, during an inspection tour of several neighbourhoods in the city of Beirut, the governor, Judge Marwan Abboud, issued a sudden and immediate decision, without prior warning, to forcibly evict a residential building located in the Barbir neighbourhood (Mazraa cadastral area). The building was sealed off with red wax, trapping residents’ belongings inside and leaving them without access. This action resulted in the displacement of the residents from their homes in the absence of alternative housing.
After providing a brief overview of the building state and the situation of its residents, we criticize, in this statement, the building-scale forced eviction, falsely justified by the presence of a dangerous facility, and the need of ensuring public safety. We additionally demonstrate how the decision is a clear manifestation of racist discrimination against Syrians, further contributing to a widespread campaign that unfairly holds Syrian citizens to be solely responsible for the crisis Lebanon is facing.
Read more details in Arabic here.
