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Education Ministry's security guards assault Iraqi students in Lebanon

Relating his version of events, Lebanese caretaker Education Minister mentioned the limited number of civil servants working to conduct the high number of operations that need to be carried out. 

Education Ministry's security guards assault Iraqi students in Lebanon

Screenshot of a video showing police officers attacking Iraqi students on the premises of the Education Ministry. (Credit: Twitter photo/@megaphone_news)

BEIRUT — "Back off! Get out of the way, by God! Get the hell out! Back off, you … Back off, or I'll punch you in the face!"

Using these aggressive terms and armed with aluminum poles, law enforcement officers and the Education Ministry's security guards on Thursday reacted to a large, disorderly queue of Iraqi students who had come to the ministry to sit for their equivalency formalities, video footage of the incident shows. The officers and security guards in the video also threaten to beat the students if they do not leave immediately.

The video, published online by the website Megaphone, is explicit. Dozens of men gather in a disorderly fashion in front of a door, carrying files, awaiting their turn. In front of them, uniformed police officers loose patience, insult the men, push them and brandish metal poles in what appears to be an intimidation tactic.

The video is drawing attention on social media networks.

"What a shame!" Charbel, a Twitter user, reacted. "Once our state has pocketed its money, this is how it treats the Iraqi people?" another Twitter user, Roni, asked. For Hazem, commenting via Facebook, the attitude of the security forces is nothing but " pure racism."

According to Megaphone, Iraqi Education Minister Naim al-Aboudi called for the formation of a ministerial committee that would be sent to Lebanon to follow the case and inquire about the treatment of Iraqi students.

Lebanese caretaker Education Minister Abbas Halabi reacted immediately to the incident, which he descibed as a "stampede," saying he was concerned about "preserving the dignity of everyone" who comes to the ministry for a formality, whether Lebanese or foreign, without any discrimination, "especially the Iraqi brothers who study at Lebanese universities."

Relating his version of events, the minister mentioned the limited number of civil servants working to conduct the high number of operations that need to be carried out. He explained that the civil servants are present at the ministry only two days a week, due to the ongoing public administration employees strike related to the financial crisis.

He said that a large number of Lebanese, Arab and Iraqi students regularly rush to the equivalence and certification departments. He noted that about 100 Iraqi students were crowding the ministry's doors, starting from 5:30 a.m. on Thursday.

"As soon as the doors opened at 8 a.m., they rushed all together, blocking the passage in front of the equivalence section," the minister's statement said. "The police and officials tried to organize the queue, but one Iraqi national who was waiting for his turn lost consciousness. This did not prevent the stampede."

It was this incident "that prompted ISF members and security guards to raise their voices and grab the pole that was used to delineate the queue," the statement said. "The student who lost consciousness suffered an asthma attack. He was running out of oxygen. He was quickly taken care of by the Lebanese Red Cross," it added.

BEIRUT — "Back off! Get out of the way, by God! Get the hell out! Back off, you … Back off, or I'll punch you in the face!"Using these aggressive terms and armed with aluminum poles, law enforcement officers and the Education Ministry's security guards on Thursday reacted to a large, disorderly queue of Iraqi students who had come to the ministry to sit for their equivalency formalities,...