Conflict Incident Report

CALLING FOR CONSERVATION OF HORSH BEIRUT Dozens of environmental activists gathered around Beirut’s municipal building to protest a proposal that would eliminate the last vestige of green space in the capital.

“The decisions taken by the municipality, such as establishing a hospital in Horsh Beirut’s premises ... and using Horsh Beirut ... to build a football stadium that adheres to international standards are completely unacceptable,” Mohammad Ayoub, the head of Nahnoo, told The Daily Star during the protest.

Nahnoo, a nonsectarian and nonpartisan youth organization aimed at community development and youth civic empowerment, is among the NGOs at the forefront of advocacy campaigns calling for the preservation of public spaces around Lebanon. “We won’t back down. We are dealing with a government that doesn’t fulfill our needs except under pressure, and [applying pressure is] exactly what we are doing,” Ayoub said.

Souad al-Dani, a mother of five, harangued the government, accusing the Lebanese state of hindering her children’s development. “The lack of [green] spaces for [the children] to be wild in is absolutely killing their creativity,” she said. “Kids all use their iPads for about four hours a day.”

Sahar Badreddine, a 22-year-old medical laboratory student, called for the preservation of green spaces as a matter of public health.

“Without green spaces that people can enjoy to relieve stress, [people] are more likely to get sick,” she said.