Member of the Syrian Opposition Coalition’s (SOC) Political Committee and Director of the Office of Refugee Affairs Salim Idris praised the principled position of the Lebanese Progressive Socialist Party regarding the growing incitement against Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and the Lebanese authorities’ keenness on serving the Assad regime by putting pressure on Syrian refugees to force them to return to Assad-held areas.
Idris stressed that populist campaigns inciting the Lebanese people against Syrian refugees is not spur-of-the-moment, but rather come through coordination between the Assad regime and its allies in Lebanon, especially the Hezbollah Militia. He said that the Hezbollah Militia is inventing dozens of pretexts to prompt the Lebanese authorities towards taking decisions that may prove disastrous for those returning to regime-held areas.
The Progressive Socialist Party issued a statement decrying the “growing populist rhetoric and racist statements against Syrian refugees in Lebanon.” The statement reaffirmed the Party’s firm position towards “the need to ensure the safe return of Syrian refugees who fled the hell of oppression and killings.”
The statement asked those who insist on the forced return of Syrian refugees: What security or military guarantees were there? Who gave those false guarantees to refugees? What are the justifications for pressing in this inhumane direction as long as repression, arrest and murder continue unabated in Syria?”
Moreover, the Progressive Socialist Party stressed that “the economic crisis that Lebanon and the Lebanese people are suffering from was not the result of the influx of Syrian refugees. Rather, the real causes are the bad policies, mismanagement, and corruption in many sectors in Lebanon.”
The statement indicated that “addressing these problems require measures and reforms that have become known to everyone. Any other measures will be nothing but desperate attempts to cover up the truth. Meanwhile, incitement against the refugees increases social and security risks and does not present any real opportunity for a solution.”
(Source: SOC’s media department)
