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US envoy sparks backlash after chastising reporters in Beirut
US special envoy Tom Barrack has triggered a storm of criticism after scolding local reporters during a news conference in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, telling them to “act civilised” and saying their conduct is reflective of regional turmoil.
“Please, be quiet for a moment, and I want to tell you something. The moment that this starts to become chaotic, like animalistic, we’re gone,” Barrack, who was in Beirut to meet with senior officials about efforts to disarm Hezbollah, said amid commotion during the news briefing.
“You want to know what’s happening. Act civilised, act kind, act tolerant, because this is the problem with what’s happening in the region,” he said.
US special envoy Tom Barrack
Barrack’s remarks to journalists in Beirut ‘textbook colonial gesture’
Mohamad Hasan Sweidan, a Beirut-based columnist at The Cradle news site, says the US State Department owes all journalists in the region an apology for US envoy Tom Barrack’s “dehumanising” comments towards reporters in Beirut.
“He dehumanised us, he was arrogant towards us, and he used colonial terms,” Sweidan told Al Jazeera. “Calling journalists ‘animalistic’ and urging them to civilise isn’t just a slip for Tom Barrack … it’s a textbook colonial gesture.”
“I believe that the whole media community in the region should condemn Tom Barrack’s statement, they should ask for an apology from the US State Department,” he added.
Sweidan said he believes Barrack was comfortable using such language in Beirut because of his condescending view towards the Global South generally.
“This reflects what he truly believes. When he is in the West … he views people differently. This view is only for the Global South.
Barrack says Lebanon to present Hezbollah disarmament plan August 31
Speaking after talks with President Joseph Aoun, Barrack said Lebanon will put forward a plan on Sunday aimed at convincing Hezbollah to give up its weapons, with Israel expected to submit a corresponding framework for its military withdrawal.
Barrack said the Lebanese proposal would not involve military coercion but would focus on efforts to encourage Hezbollah to surrender its weapons.
“The Lebanese army and government are not talking about going to war. They are talking about how to convince Hezbollah to give up those arms,” the US envoy said.
The Lebanese cabinet earlier this month tasked the army with drawing up a plan to establish a state monopoly on arms, drawing anger from Hezbollah, which says such calls only serve Israel.
