The tensions over the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon boiled over on Thursday into a clash between Lebanese and Syrians in the Mount Lebanon and northern regions.
Security forces and the army were quick to contain the clashes to prevent the tensions from taking violent turns in the future.
Syrians have come under increasing criticism in Lebanon in wake of the new flow of refugees who are escaping the economic crisis in their homeland. Lebanon itself is languishing under its own unprecedented economic crisis that many believe is being compounded by the refugees.
Moreover, the growing number of refugees has sparked warnings by Lebanese politicians that they pose an “existential threat” to Lebanon.
The government has since taken action. On Thursday, it shut over a hundred illegal businesses run by Syrians in the eastern Bekaa region.
The Lebanese believe that the Syrians are competition against them in the job market and are a burden on state services that are already lacking since the crisis erupted four years ago. Lebanon is hosting over 2 million Syrians, including 1.5 refugees, say authorities.
On Thursday, the tensions developed into clashes between the Lebanese and Syrians.
In the Dora area in Mount Lebanon – home to 2,000 Syrian refugees and workers – a dispute broke out near the Mar Maroun church. Soon after, announcements were made on loudspeakers for the local residents to gather and demand the ouster of the refugees and Syrian workers to leave the area.
Sources from the region told Asharq Al-Awsat that the tensions in the area had been simmering since Wednesday in wake of a traffic accident between a Syrian youth and Lebanese woman.
A Lebanese man had intervened to resolve the dispute, prompting the Syrian to verbally attack him. He then called on his fellow Syrian workers in the area to the scene.
Soon after, Lebanese residents of the area gathered around a tailor factory where the Syrians work, forcing the workers to remain in their homes. An army patrol soon made the Syrians leave the building.
The sources said the tensions still persist, with the Lebanese refusing to allow the Syrians to remain in the area. There are no guarantees that such an incident will not happen again even though the army was quick to intervene and contain the situation.
In the North, media reports spoke of a dispute that had erupted in the Beddawi Palestinian refugee camp between a group of Syrian youths and another comprised of Lebanese and Palestinians over insults that were traded between them. The attacks soon turned violent, leaving two people wounded.
Security fears
The army and security forces’ quick action to contain clashes does not appear to be stopping the unrest from happening.
Security sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the fears will remain since the roots of the problem are still there.
The sheer number of Syrians makes it inevitable that they will interact with the Lebanese and cause more problems, noting that some of the Syrians already have criminal records, which only deepen the tensions.
From the Lebanese perspective, they feel that the Syrians are competing against them for job opportunities, and they are benefiting from state services without paying any taxes.
Incitement
The Progressive Socialist Party’s (PSP) Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc said: “Due to official negligence, populist stances and discrimination, the Syrian refugee crisis has turned into a dangerous reality.”
It called for an end to “all acts of incitement to avoid their repercussions on internal security” and an end to the “odd political exploitation of the situation” by some parties who proposed the “export of the refugees.”
In a statement, the bloc urged the government to convene “immediately” and “adopt and implement a clear policy through carrying out a comprehensive survey of Syrians in Lebanon, making the distinction between workers and refugees.”
It must determine the means of cooperation with relevant international agencies and grant the army and security forces the necessary support to carry out their duties in this regard.
“Back in 2011, the Democratic Gathering and PSP were the first to call on the state to deal with the refugees in a systematic manner and set up camps so that any repercussions would be contained in those camps alone,” it continued.
“The populists themselves, however, rejected the proposal because they believed that the camps would pave the way for the naturalization of the refugees. Now they are using the same excuse.”
“The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees must carry out its duties in full towards in the Syrian refugees and provide the necessary funding to support them equally with the Lebanese host,” it demanded.
