Racist decisions in Zahle , Syrian Refugee’s shops Closed in the city

Eldorar Alshamia Editor | 6 April, 2017
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ElDorar AlShamia:

A new chapter of restrictions on Syrian refugees by the Lebanese municipality of Zahle closing dozens of shops belonging to the refugees and the closure of other shops to Lebanese citizens accused of running the Syrians.

A UN study reported that 70 percent of Syrian refugees living in Lebanon live below the poverty line, that refugees remain under the influence of what they call external shocks and rely mainly on humanitarian assistance.

The Shops Closure

On Wednesday, the Lebanese municipal police of Zahle closed the shops run by Syrian refugees and dozens of shops for vegetables and fruit, whose operators refused to employ Lebanese instead of Syrian workers.

Many Lebanese citizens described the decision as "racist", while others considered it a correct step, especially with the issuance of a decree by Labor Minister Mohamed Kabara to prevent the work of Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

Observers considered that this step will not solve the problem, but will complicate it, in light of Western warnings received by Lebanese officials in the government, about a expected eruption of the situation between the Lebanese locals and Syrian refugees, because of such practices.

Number of Workers

The number of Syrian workers in Lebanon is estimated at 7,000 workers, according to the figures of those with work permits, while the real numbers reach 700 thousand workers occupy various types of occupations, concentrated in construction, cleaning and restaurants, in light of the amounts of money compared to the services they do.

According to UN reports, Lebanon is the biggest recipient of Syrian refugees during the conflict, with more than 1.5 million refugees living in difficult economic conditions, prompting the Lebanese government to take measures to curb Syrian asylum in Lebanon.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Lebanon announced that the number of registered refugees had risen to 1, 17,433 who had fled the war of more than five years in their country.