Dalia Ahmed: Tweeters accuse the Lebanese broadcaster of “racism” because of her statements about Syrian refugees, so what’s the story?

Many considered that the presenter’s statements were “incitement to racism and discrimination against Syrian refugees”, and others expressed concern about “fuelling an already combustible crisis.”

A group of tweeters was also surprised by the announcer’s statements, as she was a previous victim of a racist campaign because of her black skin. The announcer, Dalia Ahmed, is of Sudanese and Egyptian origin, and arrived in Beirut as a baby.

At the beginning of the year, Ahmed was subjected to a widespread campaign of bullying on social media because of statements about the Lebanese Hezbollah, which the party’s supporters considered offensive.

Tweeters used the hashtag #racism_kills_Syrians to express their rejection of any racist discourse against refugees.

Others called on the Lebanese broadcaster to talk about the necessity of “the withdrawal of the Lebanese Hezbollah militia from Syria,” referring to the great role the party played in supporting the forces of President Bashar al-Assad’s government, “before demanding the return of the Syrians to their country.”

This controversy comes in light of a debate prevailing in Lebanese society about the fate of the Syrian refugees in the country, who number approximately 1.5 million.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati had threatened to expel Syrian refugees unless the international community helped them return to their country.

Human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, warn of forcible return to Syria, as they have documented cases of arrest, torture and disappearance committed by the Syrian authorities against returnees.