Adonis Diaries

Racism behavior on many levels in Lebanon High and middle classes communities…

Citizens from Sudan, down on their luck in Lebanon, have been conducting a hunger strike for the last 33 days demanding anti-racism activities from public and private institutions in Lebanon.  Most foreigners with little money and stuck in Lebanon are not finding any listening ears or any responses for their relief.  

Countless stories of how foreign (imported) home servants are being treated abound and  have acquired large coverage in Lebanon…And now the private beaches are forbidding foreign helpers accompanying the families from swimming in pools and even in the sea…

A niece of mine, graduating and working in London, visited Lebanon and brought along with her four English couples studying and working with her. The purpose was to attend the wedding of a Lebanese girl who graduated in London.

Two of the couples had dark skins, darker skins, or looking Asiatic or from Pakistan or…These couples were born and lived in England, but had hard time in private places and beaches in Lebanon and connecting with physicians.

Example One:  An “Asian-looking male” from Thailand got sick from the varieties of food in Lebanon or for some other causes…The physician, a friend of the Lebanese host, thought that the patient was a domestic worker and could not understand English and insisted on explaining solely to the Lebanese friend and avoiding the patient as if invisible…

Example Two: The British couples were attending the special party before the wedding day at the beach resort of Edde Sand. They were told that it will be a swimming party and arrived in beach attire…The Lebanese invitees, particularly the women, were decked in wedding garment and their make-ups were anti-water, including the hair arrangement…They could dip and swim and resurface and look as if they had not been in the water…The British “non-white” couples were denied swimming on stupid grounds to the shame of the hosts and bride and…

All these kinds of “natural” behavior are common place as foreign domestic workers (Ethiopia, Philipines, Ivory Coast, Nepal, Srilanka…) have become very necessary to the maintenance and running of any Lebanese family life and taking care of children and…https://adonis49.wordpress.com/2012/05/11/migrant-workers-foreign-domestic-workers-racism-arab-spring/

Photos from the hunger strike on day 33. Ongoing until demands are met.

A report in the blog Jadaliyya read:

“Recently, the Ministry of Tourism in Lebanon issued a memorandum banning discrimination in the country’s private pools and beaches. Such a ban came after many years of the barring of entry or other forms of discrimination against migrant domestic laborers and those assumed to be migrant domestic laborers.

In an effort to monitor and encourage the implementation of this recent official ban on discrimination, the Lebanese group Anti-Racism Movement has produced the following two videos highlighting the continued and widespread practice of discrimination at private beaches in Lebanon.

Flat Out Segregation at Lebanese Beaches (Part 1)

In this video, a hidden camera documents a discriminatory act the Saint-George Yacht Club and Marina (Beirut). Following the incident, the Ministry of Tourism Police were called and activists were assured that the Saint-George would be fined. The business also issued an apology promising to ensure that such discrimination would not take place again. Activists want to be clear that they were not singling out the Saint-George club, but that this was the only available footage of what is a much broader phenomenon.

Flat Out Segregation at Lebanese Beaches (Part 2)

In this video, activists call several of the private beaches and pools to ask:

(1) whether migrant domestic workers are allowed to enter and

(2) whether they are allowed to swim.

Featured Establishments include: Golden Beach (00:12); Oceana (00:28); Miramar (01:05); Long Beach (01:20); Edde Sands (01:37); Florida Beach (01:50); Portemillo (02:12); Cyan (02:47); La Plage (03:01); Las Salinas (03:31).

What You Can Do

To ensure that the discrimination ban in Lebanon is enforced, people in Lebanon must do an effort and follow these instructions:

• If you witness an act of discrimination at a beach (not letting someone in, not letting them swim, other “filtration policies”, etc.), please call the tourism police right away (hotline: 1735), and let them know!
• If you do not want to call the tourism police, let Anti-Racism Movement know (by phone, SMS, or email) and we will deal with it! (See contact information below)
• Please send Anti-Racism Movement your experiences at beaches in Lebanon. You can email us, call us, send us a video or a picture. You will remain completely anonymous unless you ask for your name to be used.

Anti-Racism Movement Contact Information

Phone:             01-565442       or 71-486601

Email: antiracismlb@gmail.com

Website: http://antiracismmovement.com