The leader of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea, displayed on a screen as he speaks after the funeral mass of Pascal Sleiman in Jbeil, on April 12, 2024. (Credit: Matthieu Karam/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Hundreds of people attended on Friday the funeral mass of Pascal Sleiman, head of the Lebanese Forces (LF) office in the Jbeil district, killed six days ago and whose murder created a deleterious atmosphere in Lebanon, with some seeing resurface the specter of civil war and others attacking Syrian nationals present in the country.
The funeral mass in his memory, in the Saint-Georges church in Jbeil, was commemorated by Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai, who denounced in his homily “the danger” that Syrian refugees now represent. Before the celebration began at 1 p.m., dozens of cars displaying flags of the LF and the Kataeb caused traffic jams on the road to Jbeil, L'Orient Today's correspondent on the scene reported.
Among the flags raised in the convoys were that of the LF but also those of the “Soldiers of God,” a small Christian group from Achrafieh that regularly attacks LGBTQ+ people, and of “al-Sadm,” a former commando unit of the LF during the Civil War.
'They are against all Lebanese'
Shortly before mass, a woman waits, holding an enormous wooden cross in her hands. "In all our lives we have defended the Bible and Jesus. They defend terrorism,” Dalia told L'Orient Today, referring to Hezbollah. “They are against all Lebanese. They want a civil war. But we are against that,” continues the forty-year-old.
The portrait of Pascal Sleiman during the funeral mass dedicated to him, celebrated by Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai in Jbeil, April 12, 2024. (Credit: Matthieu Karam/L'Orient Today)
Two days after the disappearance of Sleiman, the Lebanese army claimed that he was killed by a Syrian mafia – a version contested by the LF, who see it as “a political assassination until proven otherwise.” Some supporters of Samir Geagea's party have directed their anger towards Syrian refugees in Lebanon, committing several attacks and abuses against them. The party itself had called for calm, denouncing “the barbaric acts to which certain Syrians are exposed” while once again calling for their repatriation.
"Criminals are Syrian refugees welcomed by Lebanese: al-Rai"
During his homily, al-Rai deplored the fact that “the criminals are Syrian refugees who were welcomed by the Lebanese.” He stated that the refugees “now constitute a danger for the Lebanese at home. We must now find a solution to this, far from clashes whose consequences are unbearable.”
Dalia, LF flag on her head and large wooden cross, before the funeral mass in honor of Pascal Sleiman, in Jbeil, April 12, 2024. (Credit: Matthieu Karam/L'Orient Today)
“Who benefits from this anarchy in power, administration, justice, weapons and the decision of war, and a country outside the hands of the State,” al-Rai said, referring to Hezbollah. After the mass, Geagea also spoke to a jubilant crowd, via screen.
"So where are we going now? The answer is simple: In case of danger, we are the Lebanese Forces,” he said. “The confrontation continues. It will be long. Because real solutions take time. Let no one bet on our despair,” he said.
In front of the church, Dany, 58, LF cap on his head, confides: “I am not convinced by the official version of the investigation. Apparently, the kidnappers' car was worth more than the victim's,” which, according to him, invalidates the theory of simple car theft.
“Crime is political par excellence, and today, it is only the LF who are standing up to Hezbollah,” he said. Moreover, during a speech by MP Ziad Hawat calling for the “rapid return of refugees” to their homes, the crowd interrupted him by chanting: “Terrorist, terrorist, Hezbollah terrorist.” After the funeral, Pascal Sleiman's remains were transported to his native village of Mayfouk, to be buried there.
Closure of Catholic schools
The general secretariat of Catholic schools in Lebanon announced Thursday evening the closure of all educational establishments this Friday, a “day of prayer for the salvation of Lebanon.” Friday was declared a public holiday for administrations on the occasion of the Fitr holiday, marking the end of the month of Ramadan, by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
The coffin of Pascal Sleiman, covered with a flag of the Lebanese Forces, is transported to Mayfouk, April 12, 2024. (Credit: Matthieu Karam/L'Orient Today)
The press release from Catholic schools, relayed by several local media, “strongly condemns the murder operations and the violation of human dignity whatever it may be,” as well as “the ambient security disorder” in Lebanon, which is going through a period of tension since this event. In their text, Catholic schools also call on the Lebanese state to “take its responsibilities” so that they “can continue their educational mission” throughout the country.
Furthermore, parliamentary groups met on Thursday evening, notably those of the protest, Renewal, Kataeb and the LF.
A press release was published at the end of their meeting: “On the occasion of tomorrow's funeral of Pascal Sleiman in the Saint-Georges church in Jbeil, the Lebanese opposition deputies call to proclaim Friday, April 12, the day of national mourning, as a sign of solidarity with the family of Pascal Sleiman and for the salvation of his soul.”
The text also calls for “the solidarity of all Lebanese people with the State and its sovereignty, in the face of the anarchy of weapons, the security disorder and the proliferation of illegal weapons from which Lebanon suffers.”
