Wide Lebanese condemnations for the burning of a Syrian refugee camp in northern Lebanon

Leader of the Lebanese Democratic Party and Member of the Lebanese Parliament Talal Arslan has described the burning of a Syrian refugee camp in Al-Minya town in the north of Lebanon as “a crime against humanity, values and morals”.

In a statement on Monday, Arslan urged the concerned judicial and security bodies to impose their authority and punish the perpetrators.

Late on Saturday, a number of people set fire to a camp for Syrian refugees in the town of Minya, leading to the displacement of hundreds of camp residents and to massive material damage.

 The Lebanese Union Party also condemned the aggressive incident in Minya, stressing that the burning of the camp by a number of outlaws constitutes a “crime.”

“This criminal act is suspicious and completely condemned, as it has dangerous impacts on the Syrian-Lebanese fraternal relations that no one has the right to harm or use for personal goals, especially in the light of the current challenges facing the region,” the party said in a statement on Monday. The party stressed that this crime serves no one except those linked to foreign agendas, calling for punishing the perpetrators.

On Sunday, several Lebanese ministers, parties and personalities condemned the burning of the Syrian refugee camp in Minya town, describing it as a “criminal” act.

The Minister of Social Affairs and Tourism in the Lebanese caretaker government Ramzi Al-Musharrafia affirmed that “burning the tents of Syrian refugees is a criminal act that is condemned by all standards.” He called on the Lebanese judiciary to impose the most severe penalties on perpetrators of the crime.

On his part, Former Lebanese Minister of State for the Displaced Affairs Saleh Al-Gharib renewed his call for the return of Syrian refugees to their country and for protecting them from such racist practices carried out by some outlaws. He also called for an immediate and just investigation into this crime.

The Syrian Social Nationalist Party in Lebanon also condemned this crime and said in a statement that “what happened confirms the need to address the refugee crisis through full coordination with the Syrian government, to support the efforts of the Lebanese public security in this regard and to work immediately to help in repatriating the refugees.” It stressed the need to completely reject the Western pressure that aims at hindering this process for political goals.

On his part, Head of the National Solidarity Forum in Lebanon, Sheikh Mustafa Malas, affirmed that preventing the Syrian refugees from returning to their homeland, Syria, serves the American-Israeli scheme.

He said in a statement that “the crime of burning the camp of our Syrian brothers in Minya town comes to highlight the fact that the dignity and humanity of the refugees are being underestimated, a violation that the international organizations, that are striving to prevent the return of refugees to their country to serve the Western-American-Zionist plot against Syria, should be blamed for. 

Hamda Mustafa