Syrian refugees fear discrimination

Syrian refugee Abu Adnan was rushing his newborn to the doctor one night in the Lebanese town of Rmeish when municipal police stopped him and began questioning him.

He was in violation of a municipal curfew that prevents Syrian refugees from leaving their homes between sunset and sunrise.

"They began questioning me -- ‘Where are you going? Why?’" he told AFP, speaking on condition that a pseudonym be used.

Eventually he was allowed to continue, but was followed to and from the doctor’s office, ensuring that he returned home directly.

This is just one example of what Syrian refugees and local activists say is increasing pressure on, and even outright racism against, Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

Lebanon hosts more than one million Syrian refugees -- roughly a quarter of its population -- and has regularly been praised for opening its borders to those fleeing the brutal conflict in its neighbour.

But the refugee influx has strained resources and tempers, with some Lebanese viewing the years-long presence of Syrians as a burden, even an imposition. Some municipalities have taken matters into their own hands, imposing curfews on refugees, ordering night raids on their homes, evicting them or even making them clean the streets.

"Lately, things have become very difficult," said Abu Adnan.

"Once, a group of drunken young men broke into the home of some Syrian refugees and started beating and cursing them," he said.

"The municipality did nothing for the Syrians; instead it evicted dozens from their homes." Such incidents spiked again recently after a string of suicide bombers attacked Al-Qaa village on Lebanon’s border with Syria.

Reports initially suggested the attackers had come from nearby refugee settlements, though that was later denied by Interior Minister Nuhad Mashnuq.

Lebanese activists say the security fears of citizens are being manipulated by some to justify measures against the Syrians.

On Monday, they planned a "march against racism" in Beirut from the foreign ministry to the interior ministry.

Rights groups have urged Lebanon to protect Syrians escaping the war that began in March 2011 and has killed more than 280,000 people.

"Amnesty International is concerned about recent reports of harassment and physical abuse of Syrian refugees including arbitrary arrests and forced evictions from informal settlements," said its refugee researcher Khairunissa Dhala.

She said Lebanon has "international obligations to protect Syrian refugees who are seeking safety in the country".

Matthew Saltmarsh, senior communications officer for the UN’s refugee agency UNHCR, added: "It is important to remember that Syrian refugees in Lebanon are themselves seeking sanctuary from violence in their home country."

But in Rmeish, the municipality’s Facebook page urges "all citizens to be guards".  "It is our duty to report any suspicious movement to the authorities," it says.

Municipality chief Marun Shibli says Rmeish is home to 6,000 Lebanese and that the arrival of more than 1,000 Syrians was "more than we could handle".