A video of an Internal Security Forces officer slapping an Electricité du Liban worker went viral over the weekend, sparking outrage and prompting the ISF to promise to open an investigation.
The incident took place Friday when EDL contract workers held a protest at the state-run company’s headquarters in Mar Mikhael in east Beirut and closed the customer's hall.
Forces from the ISF and riot police were dispatched to EDL to end the demonstration. The forces there were lead by an ISF Brig. Gen identified as H.Kh.
There was a public outcry when a video of H.Kh. slapping a worker named Hasan Akel in the face and telling him to "shut up" went viral on social media Saturday. Based on the circulated video, Akel was sitting on a chair near one of the entryway doors and didn't respond to the officer.
He told local media that the protest was peaceful and that the workers were only calling for their rights. Akel claimed he had only "placed his hand on the officer's knee," to explain the situation.
EDL contract workers have been protesting regularly to call for long-term contracts and payment of late salaries.
The ISF issued a statement later in the evening saying that the video excerpt that was being circulated wasn't complete and didn't show all of what happened. It made assurances that the institution's officers stand with citizens and that it will continue to hold its members and officers accountable when they make a mistake.
"The man that was sitting on the chair held the officer's leg and spoke to him in an unethical way, which prompted [the officer] to react unconsciously and instantly after being insulted particularly because he represents a security institution and was doing his job," the statement read.
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This article has been adapted from its original source.
