Another blow to public lands. Another blow to fishermen. Another victory in the pockets of large capitalists intent on transforming our capital into a touristic area for the rich.
Remember the news from November 2013? “What officially began as rehabilitation efforts for the fishermen’s ports in Beirut became construction efforts to privatize the port and deny these fishermen their livelihoods. Eviction notices were forced upon these fishermen – and yet they were denied their presence at the court.
Now, that port is being demolished.
Al-Dalia Port, across from the famous pigeon rocks in Raouche, is not the same any more. Some of the fishermen’s kiosks that were built decades ago have been flattened after bulldozers went to work yesterday to remove the rest of their kiosks and houses. Yet most of al-Dalia’s fishermen preferred to remain silent. What Beirut’s notorious contractors failed to do in the courts and through threats and intimidation – that is remove the fishermen from the land which they inherited from their forefathers – money succeeded in doing.
The fishermen received threats in the past, to the extent that the judicial officer who came to inform them about the court date did so with a gun. Today they appear weak after many people abandoned them and after they stood alone raising their voices high
Green Resistance (teaching, organizing, and eco-thinking) 
Reblogged this on Daniel Ibn Zayd and commented:
How long until they are seen in an ad from the Bureau of Tourism selling to tourists what no longer exists in actuality? Yaa haram. Thanks Rania.
By: Daniel Ibn Zayd on March 14, 2014
at 10:31 am
Aida Metri ( BIOL207)
What the “bigger people” don’t realize, is that not only are they destroying peoples’ homes and jobs, but they are also destroying a piece of Beirut’s cultural heritage. The fisherman tried and tried to stand up for their homes and our ocean, but with no success. At the end they realized that people with money and the right connections can get away with basically anything they desire, even if its dreadfully wrong. What comes along with this port are priceless memories and the homes of so many families, so many families that have tried several times to stand up for what they believe in but are being shut down by the officials.
“The fishermen received threats in the past, to the extent that the judicial officer who came to inform them about the court date did so with a gun. Today they appear weak after many people abandoned them and after they stood alone raising their voices high.” What more can they do? I mean a gun? Seriously? They are forcing these innocent people who want nothing more then to be left alone with their homes to give up. They tried bribing them and when that didn’t work they decided to use force? That’s what Lebanon is becoming? An economical, selfish place where nobody takes a second glance at others unless it comes with a pay check? It’s horrifying thinking that is our future.
By: Aida Metri on March 16, 2014
at 11:12 pm
[…] Earlier, I had posted about it: […]
By: more on protecting public spaces and livelihoods (Dalia) in Lebanon | Green Resistance (teaching, organizing, and eco-thinking) on May 9, 2014
at 10:12 am
[…] Green Resistance: Another defeat to Lebanon’s fishermen […]
By: The campaign to stop the destruction of Raouche’s Al Dalia | Hummus For Thought on May 15, 2014
at 3:04 pm
I could watch Scnredlhi’s List and still be happy after reading this.
By: Elyza on May 22, 2017
at 5:54 am
Well, we kind of got used to this awful reality: if you want something get it even if it is by force. Unfortunately, even judicial officers are using guns to get what they want. If powerful people who are supposed to represent Lebanon are using violence as a bridge to achieve their goals, how can they expect the lebanese people to be peaceful? How can they expect not to have conflicts? What type of country are we living in? A place where u can’t afford what is yours by nature. Low social class people have no rights. This is absurd!!! What a cruel, awful reality. Unfortunately, it seems like there’s no hope for this country. The fishermen tried their best, and at the end they didn’t get anything. They gave up. They lost their jobs, and they had to change their lives and try to find new means for living. As usual, the poor people were the only affected ones. If more people supported them, stood up, and fought with them, most probably they would have won. With a selfish government like the one we have, I wonder what is coming next; what the future is going to be like; because they are always surprising us with their indifference toward not only the environment, but also the population.
By: Siham El Rafei (BIOL207) on June 15, 2014
at 11:18 pm
Every lebanese perso has always dreamed of a peaceful Lebanon. It is being almost impossible to make this dream come true. With such a corrupted government that also uses violence to get what it needs, it cannot be expected that the population will do something different. The government is the central power whatever it does it reflects on the society. An honest, transparent, peaceful government means a peaceful society. We will never reach high standards with ignorant people controlling our country. There are already no available jobs for the population. If someone has one they come and tae it from him. Then they keep on asking why the lebanese move to live in another countries. They have more rights in foreign countries than that they do in their own one. As it can be seen the fishermen tried to fight for their rights, but they give up because they didn’t have enough support and because they were threatened. This is very sad and inhuman. As usual, poor people are paying the price for the irrational acts of the rich, powerful ones.
By: Wael Dagher (BIOL207) on June 18, 2014
at 7:02 am
It is sad to see how the power we gave to government turned against us destroying our history. Raouch is not just a rock in the middle of the sea, it hold historical evidence of human existence. This issue raises additional concerns. What is next? What is after Raouche? which milestone is next to destroy?
By: Therese Douaihy (Biol207) on June 18, 2014
at 6:32 pm