ACTIVE ARAB VOICES
The Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship at AUB
Beirut Blast Solidarity
Tainted with Racism
ANTI-RACISM MOVEMENTANT
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On August 4 2020, a massive explosion hit Lebanon’s capital that was caused by a blast of 2750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored in Beirut’s port. The explosion caused the death of more than 150 people, thousands of injuries and disappearances, making a lot of families homeless.
Before the explosion, migrant workers had been demanding to be evacuated from Lebanon and to go back home. Today, their families are worried about their safety in a country that not only dehumanizes them but also does not consider their security and survival an urgent priority in a constantly changing situation in terms of coronavirus lockdown and official security protocols. For more, click here |
الثأر لبيروت ولسكّانها
كريم نمور.
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"الثأر"، لأن التحقيق والعدالة خذلانا... الثأر، لأن النظام يستغلّ قوّته لإحتلال الفضاء العام ومنابره لتبييض صورته، محاولاً إمّا رمي المسؤولية على القضاء (الذي يعجز هو الآخر الدفاع عن نفسه بفعل موجب التحفظ) وإمّا تشتيت المسؤولية على مختلف أركان النظام بغية إغراقها في تفاصيل تركيبته وهلاكها... والثأر، لأن التحقيق والعدالة محتكران من قبل النظام المجرم، فكيف عسى للمجرم أن يحقق ويحاكم ذاته؟ وهو نفسه من شوّه، قبل أيّام من الإنفجار، أنشودة "بيروت ستّ الدنيا" للشاعر نزار قبّاني، مستبدلاً عبارة "الثورة تولد من رحم الأحزان" بلالات بائسة، وكأنه يسعى لمحو الثورة وواقع الأحزان من ذاكرتنا المشتركة. أمّا بعد فشله بتلك المهمّة، ها هو يفجّر بطلة الأنشودة، بيروت ولم تمضِ ساعات على الإنفجار الجرمي حتى تبنّت الحكومة بيان المجلس الأعلى للدفاع، لا سيما لجهة إعلان بيروت مدينة منكوبة وإعلان حالة الطوارئ فيها لمدة أسبوعين قابلة للتجديد (أي من 04/08/2020 لغاية 18/08/2020)، وذلك سنداً للمرسوم الإشتراعي رقم 52 الصادر بتاريخ 05/08/1967، على أن تتولى السلطة العسكرية العليا فوراً صلاحية المحافظة على الأمن فكيف نقرأ إجراء الحكومة هذا لإدارة الكوارث الوطنية، في ظلّ مطالبات الثأر الشعبية؟ |
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أتى إنفجار بيروت في 4 آب الماضي ليرنّ ناقوس النظام مجدداً. فيتحول الثأر (أو رغبته) إذ ذاك إلى انتفاضة مستجدة لاستعادة عدالة – ومعها سردية لواقعنا – يحاول النظام بائساً التمسك باحتكارها
للمزيد من المعلومات، انقر هنا
للمزيد من المعلومات، انقر هنا
Beirut Catastrophe
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Through our partner Jadaliyya
By Bassam Haddad
05 August 2020 Like so many, I am beyond mad at the criminal incompetence and corruption of the Lebanese Government, Bureaucracy, and their attendant business cronies/supporters who privilege profit over everything with almost no checks on their horror, save the self-congratulatory "open" discourse in public spaces, which serves more to vent than to exact concrete accountability. Hence the necessary courageous protests and mobilization we have observed for some time being the beaming light amid rot. A much more careful and detailed account is Ziad Abu-Rish's take below on what happened yesterday, and implications. I asked him to synthesize his social media comments for potential publication (perhaps on Jadaliyya). Thanks Ziad. Please consider joining our fundraising campaign to support the Lebanese Red Cross here, Kindly click here |
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By Ziad Abu-Rish
The nature of Tuesday’s explosion in the port of Beirut and the extent of the damage across the city and beyond is not yet clear. There are plenty of unconfirmed reports and it is hard to take official statements as transparent.
That being said, the effects of the explosion were felt across the city and beyond. For those familiar with the geography, nearby areas such Karantina and Gemmayzeh as well as further away areas such as Manara, Hamra, Burj Hammoud, Sin al-Fil, and Brummana felt the explosion.
The port area itself is largely decimated, with adjacent neighborhoods destroyed and those one neighborhood removed reportedly looking like a warzone. Much of the most-damaged areas are only now being accessed by those searching for victims, rescue teams having been forced to wait out the flames or make sure remaining structures would not collapse on them.
The anecdotes and reports of windows shattering, balcony doors collapsing, and ceilings caving in across Beirut (to say nothing of the “exterior damage” on the streets that are today lined with broken glass) and beyond are true and a testament to how powerful the explosion was. click here for more
The nature of Tuesday’s explosion in the port of Beirut and the extent of the damage across the city and beyond is not yet clear. There are plenty of unconfirmed reports and it is hard to take official statements as transparent.
That being said, the effects of the explosion were felt across the city and beyond. For those familiar with the geography, nearby areas such Karantina and Gemmayzeh as well as further away areas such as Manara, Hamra, Burj Hammoud, Sin al-Fil, and Brummana felt the explosion.
The port area itself is largely decimated, with adjacent neighborhoods destroyed and those one neighborhood removed reportedly looking like a warzone. Much of the most-damaged areas are only now being accessed by those searching for victims, rescue teams having been forced to wait out the flames or make sure remaining structures would not collapse on them.
The anecdotes and reports of windows shattering, balcony doors collapsing, and ceilings caving in across Beirut (to say nothing of the “exterior damage” on the streets that are today lined with broken glass) and beyond are true and a testament to how powerful the explosion was. click here for more
