MP Fattush aggression against a woman civil servant steers reactions

Social media websites have been overwhelmed during the past few days with the incident involving MP and lawyer Nicolas Fattush who allegedly aggressed, Manal Daou, a woman civil servant at the Justice Palace.  When the story first broke out, Daou had said that she will not be lodging a formal complaint against MP Fattoush.  However, Daou then spoke to As Safir and retracted in view of the public support she received.  She noted that as a mother of three, she was hesitant to take such a step.  To be noted that a number of public and civil reactions in support of Manal Daou were recorded.  The Minister of Justice, Ashraf Rifi, called for a proper investigation of the incident followed by the necessary corrective measures.  The Rassemblement Democratique des Femmes Libanaises (RDFL) condemned the MP’s action considering that Fattush's behavior is but a reflection of the patriarchal mindset of the ruling elite which has always disregarded women's rights and human dignity.  The Lebanese Women Council also expressed its resentment vis-à-vis this behavior.
For its part, the “Administrative Board of the Association of the General Administration Staff” called for a two hour strike yesterday to be observed in all public institutions.  A sit in was also convened in front of the Ministry of Justice yesterday with the participation of citizens, employees, lawyers, trade unionists and civil activists. Furthermore, the Trade Union Coordinating Body also issued a statement condemning this unprecedented aggression on civil servants and declared its solidarity with the association. Fattush for his part counter-attacked and belittled all the public outrage against his action and called on demonstrators to "return to their offices”.

Source: Al-Akhbar, Al-Safir, Al-Nahar, Al-Akhbar, Al-Safir, Al-Akhbar, 22,23,24 October 2014)

Manal Daou's fear and Fattoush continuous arrogance lead us to think further about this incident and from various points of view.  First, there is the issue of an MP assaulting a citizen with the latter fearing to complain officially in a country which denies people their basic rights especially the right to safety and security.  The second issue is the lack of awareness of basic rights.  Indeed, article 381 of the Lebanese Penal Code notes that any person who assaults an employee during the course of his duty is liable to a 3 to 6 month prison sentence, while article 383 stipulates that using humiliating language and threats against an employee in the course of his duty is liable to 6 month imprisonment.  Add to that, it is to be noted that with regards to clause 381, there is a public right that can not be dropped, even if the victim did not file a complaint. Finally, this unfortunate incident leads us to ask the question as to whether Fattush considered that it was fine to assault Manal Daou only because she is a woman.  (Z.M.)