On Friday, there was a physical confrontation at a cafe in Jal El-Dib involving a senior Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) figure and political activists who were attacked by FPM supporters.
Activist Pierre El-Khoury, who was attacked along with Patricia Daher, said that the conflict started after he joined FPM Vice-President for Youth Affairs Mansour Fadel at his table to discuss issues related to the party’s political performance.
During the conversation, El-Khoury pointed out to Fadel that the FPM is part of Lebanon’s ruling class that has governed Lebanon for the last 15 years.
This remark, according to El-Khoury, provoked the FPM official, who gave the activist “3 seconds to leave the table.”
As El-Khoury was leaving, he had a loud argument with Fadel, after which the latter physically assaulted the former, before calling on his companions to assist him in beating up El-Khoury; the activist explained in a widely shared video on social media.
“They also assaulted Patricia Daher from the activist group ‘Fight for Your Right,’ who immediately went to the cafe to support [El-Khoury],” the activism group Fight for Your Right said in a statement following the incident.
On the other hand, the FPM‘s central media committee said that while Mansour Fadel was sitting at a table at Lina’s in Jal El-Dib, an unidentified person attacked and offended him.
“An unidentified person subjected him to insults against him and the Movement and provocative offenses that could not be accepted by a fighter who belongs to our movement, and cannot be tolerated, and it was only possible to silence him.”
Later, Fadel tweeted: “The dignity of the Free Patriotic Movement is above all else.” On his part, Pierre El-Khoury declared that he will file a lawsuit.