London protests ‘discriminatory’ Lebanon law against Palestinian workers

The Palestinian Forum in Britain yesterday staged a protest near the Lebanese embassy in London to call on Beirut to reverse legislation which limits Palestinian refugees’ access to work.

In an official statement the organisation denounced the discriminatory laws against Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.

Protesters raised banners calling for maintaining the brotherly relations between the Lebanese and Palestinian peoples and praising the Lebanese stand taken on the popular and official levels against the Ministry of Labour’s restrictions.

The Palestinian Forum in Britain stressed that the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon have the right to work and live in dignity until they return to Palestine.

Lebanon: General strike sweeps Palestinian camps for 5th day

Earlier this month Minister of Labour Kamil Abu Sleiman tightened the restrictions imposed on foreign workers, including Palestine refugees, to force them to obtain working permits. The move saw shops which employ foreign workers illegally closed.

Palestinians held mass protests against the move, saying the new measures were discriminatory and supported US efforts to force Palestinians to accept the “deal of the century” by reducing their economic independence.

As a result, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri announced that Palestinians were not being included in restrictions placed on foreign workers in the country and called on Abu Sleiman to make a formal announcement on the matter. However this never came.