From Migrant Workers to Palestinian Refugees Confronting State Violence & Racism in Lebanon

Event date: 18 November 2020

On October 17th 2019, protests against the political system and the ruling elite spread across Lebanon in what many hoped would be a new dawn of equality and justice. Instead, Lebanon’s political rulers have refused to yield and the country is now facing multiple crises, including a devastating economic recession, the spread of Covid19, and a deadly blast at Beirut’s port, that have created misery for many. Although this has affected everyone in Lebanon, refugee communities and migrant workers who have been historically marginalised by the state and legally discriminated against have been particularly affected.

This talk will focus on the situation of migrant workers confronting the Kafala system and Palestinian refugees both during this current crisis and within the broader context of Lebanese state violence.

Tsigereda Brihanu is the Projects Manager at Egna Legna, a community-based, feminist activist organisation working on migrant domestic workers’ issues and general women’s issues in Lebanon and Ethiopia. Tsigereda has been working in Lebanon for almost 7 years and is currently based in Beirut.

Islam Khatib is a Palestinian feminist based in Beirut.

Kareem Chehayeb is a journalist and researcher in Beirut. He reports for local media organisation The Public Source and is a Non-resident Fellow at The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy.