The death of a Christian political leader has sparked a wave of vigilante attacks on Syrians, fuelled by political scapegoating
Mustafa* was walking home from work last month when he was attacked. He had lived in the neighbourhood – an attractive, predominantly Christian town a few miles from Beirut – since 2010. In an apparently unprovoked assault, a gang of more than a dozen men beat him up, broke one of his ribs, and left him bleeding by the side of the road.
It is one of numerous reports that have emerged in recent weeks of vigilante groups across Lebanon attacking Syrians. After the abduction and killing of a senior official in the Lebanese Forces, a rightwing Christian political party, rights groups have recorded a spike in attacks and rhetoric aimed at Syrians living in the country.
