The Syrian National Council described goading a Shiite child to abuse and torture a Syrian refugee child Syria as “one of the worst forms of sowing hatred and hostility in the hearts of children,” noting that this criminal act was filmed and distributed without any scruples and in utter disregard to human values. As a result of the ill-treatment and the constant threats made against Syrian students in the Lebanese schools in the dominantly Shiite suburb of Beirut, the abused dropped off and was forced to work in return for very low pay. This mean act expresses the extent of hostility against the Syrian refugees in Lebanon fueled by Hezbollah’s involvement in the suppression of the aspirations of the Syrian people for freedom and dignity. It was also fueled by Hezbollah’s sectarian speech and the culture of glorifying the use of force and arms against the citizen, the brother and neighbor.” The Syrian National Council also said that “while the majority of the Lebanese people sympathize with the Syrian Revolution for freedom and dignity, this shameful act highlights the extent of the moral decline caused by Assad’s Iranian and Lebanese allies whose policies are now resulting in racial and hatred crimes. All the Lebanese people, especially human rights advocates and the religious leaders of all communities, must move to confront Hezbollah’s systematic policy of sowing hatred and division in Lebanon and the region. The Syrian National Council also calls on the Lebanese government “to seriously react to this crime, to conduct an immediate investigation and to deal with all hatred crimes committed against the Syrian refugees in Lebanon.” Moreover, it calls on the Lebanese civil society organizations, the cultural and religious figures, especially the Higher Islamic Shiite Council, to unambiguously condemn this heinous behavior and the provocateurs of hatred and sectarianism.” It also calls on the United Nations Children’s Fund – UNICEF and the Arab Council for Childhood and Development to act urgently to save the Syrian child who appears in the video, return him to his school, and bring the perpetrators to justice,” (Source: Syrian National Council + Syrian Coalition)
