'Local leadership code of honor' launched to combat celebratory gunfire

Under the patronage and in the presence of the President of the Council of Ministers Saad Hariri, a "Local leadership’s code of honor, a set of rules to combat the hazardous usage of weapons on occasion", was launched today at the Grand Serail, in the framework of the national campaign to limit the risks of firearms, organized by the "Permanent peace movement" and Friedrich Ebert Foundation.

The ceremony took place in the presence of MPs Amin Wehbe and Bassem Chab, representatives of the Security leaders, the director of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Beirut, Achim Vogt, the head of the Permanent Peace Movement, Fadi Abi-Allam, and a number of heads of municipalities and mayors.

After the national anthem, a documentary about celebratory gunfire in Lebanon was presented. Ghida Suleiman, the mother of one of the victims Sarah Suleiman, spoke about her daughter, her love for life and her education on the principles of humanity and called on all officials to put an end to celebratory gunfire.

Vogt gave the following speech: "Under normal circumstances, I would begin my welcome remarks by emphasizing how happy I am to be among you today. But the circumstances are not normal and they should never become normal. So, while it is an honor for the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung to be a partner in this event, I can NOT be happy because there should never be the need to host an event like this!

When Fadi Abi Allam and the Permanent Peace Movement approached us some months ago with the idea of a conference, which would address the topic of Small Arms, we were immediately ready to support it. Today, for this follow-up event, our concern and commitment to discuss this crucial topic are unwavering.

We had and we still have a very strong feeling that the question of the possession and the use - or should we better say abuse? - of small arms has developed into one of the crucial issues in Lebanon. It has become a fundamental source of anxiety, fear, and apprehension for all Lebanese. The feeling of being terrorized by the threat of using small arms has become a nationwide concern.

We all know that there is a second element to the disturbing situation of small arms in Lebanon. The sound of celebratory gunfire - be it because of a speech of one of Lebanon’s politicians, be it because of a wedding, because of elections, the end of school or because of a funeral - is still an all too common noise in Lebanon, though it has become less frequent in Beirut.

One of the reasons for possessing small arms and light weapons seems to be a cultural habit and tradition. Yet, do we ever feel the pain of parents who lost their children, their brothers, sisters or their parents due to such incidents? How do we explain to the relatives of the victims who lost one of their loved ones in such a tragic way?

And then, there is the mistrust among Lebanese. More than a quarter century after the end of the civil war, the number of guns in civilian hands seems to equal the number of Lebanese. I would like to stress again here today two stunning figures, which shed light on the relationship between arms laws and death rates. In the U.S., with one of the loosest laws on arms possession, there were more than 33,000 deaths by gunshots reported in 2014. In Japan, a country of more than a hundred million people, but with one of the strictest laws, only 6 - yes, 6! - deaths were reported for that same year 2014.

My thesis would be that the possession of small arms inevitably leads to a related increase in small arms crime. Indeed, the "small arms race" that Lebanon has been witnessing for so long after the end of the Lebanese civil war is destructive on the social, political, and economic levels. Guns should be limited to state institutions and security forces, and weapons in private hands must be a strictly regulated exception.

The more difficult task, though, will be to educate citizens to de-escalate a situation and not to react with anger and violent outrage to all kind of conflicts. This needs education, sensitization and motivation of all, but especially of the youth to be raised in a way that will finally lead to a peaceful generation.

This again will only be achieved if citizens feel they are efficiently protected by the state and the security apparatus. On the other hand, let us not put all the blame and the responsibility on the state! It is also the responsibility of parents, schools, universities, political parties, political leaders, religious institutions and civil society to support and to take the lead.

Today, we are pleased to see the readiness of you, the heads and representatives of cazas and municipalities to accept your task and responsibility in this regard. The municipality is considered to be the closest and most familiar governing body and authority for its residents. Hence, through its close cultural and familial ties with people, it could constitute a wall of prevention and protection against the random and illegal use of weapons by citizens. Furthermore, and with the authority, though limited, vested in the municipalities as the custodian of safety and security, local authorities can and should play a fundamental role in preserving peace in the community.

The fact that all of you are gathering here today, at the Serail, is a huge step forward and will grant further legitimacy and political support to our common cause. But it also reflects the degree to which you, Your Excellency, Prime Minister Saad Hariri, are keen to preserve communal peace and stability all over Lebanon. We count on the Heads of Municipalities to move forward with the Code of Honor and implement it in their respective cities and villages. The fundamental goal rests on the development of a peaceful culture and the adequate enforcement of laws and regulations.

Working on implementing existing laws in a better and more reliable way than what is the case today while sharpening them where needed, combined with a decisive policy to change mentalities and to enhance trust between citizens is, in my humble opinion, the good way forward for this beautiful country.

Let me end by congratulating our partners in this activity, the Permanent Peace Movement. It stands for non-violence, reconciliation, and peace. Thank you, Fadi Abi-Allam and your team, for having brought together all these eminent invitees to address and discuss those fundamental issues. I would like to add my sincere thanks and appreciation to Prime Minister Saad al Hariri for endorsing our endeavor and welcoming us here in the Serail.

As Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, we work with Civil Society Organizations, but also with government and parliament to spread the principles of democracy, peace, and social justice. In this respect, we hope that peace, stability and what is called today "human security" will be achieved. I am hopeful that with the launching of this national campaign today we will be able to form a coalition of like-minded actors in Lebanon, including government, parliament, municipalities, the security forces, the media and civil society who will, together, be initiating firm steps for the long journey towards peace and stability. We look forward for the efficient implementation of the Code of Honor to be adopted by the municipalities and we confirm our continuous support for the implementation of this initiative all over Lebanon. I am hopeful and convinced that our joint endeavor will render fruitful results for this initiative.

For his part, Fadi Abi-Allam read out the contents of the code: "The Lebanese arena is recently witnessing a clear phenomenon of uncontrolled weapons and an increase of celebratory gunfire to express joy and sadness, in addition to growing organized crime, which leads to the death of innocents and has negative effects on the various human security aspects, economically, socially, environmentally and politically. It also imposes increasing burdens on the security forces and jeopardizes the lives of its members.

Whereas this phenomenon is considered one of the customs and traditions that are not related to our cultural heritage and civilization, which must be addressed at all levels and by all leaders concerned with human security,

Whereas local leaders, especially municipal and elective councils, have a key role to play,

We, the heads and members of municipal, elective and other local councils, and based on our legal, ethical, human and national duty, and our concern about the security and safety of our citizens, commit to the following:

1- To consider celebratory gunfire a non-heroic and unworthy act, but rather a reckless act that disregards the lives of the people and constitutes a crime that deserves condemnation by law.

2 - To report on each shooter in any occasion and help hand him over to the competent security authorities.

3- Not to interfere with the various political, security, administrative and judicial bodies to help violators of the law get impunity.

4 - To immediate leave any event where shooting takes place.

5- To hold the person in charge of the event responsible of informing the security authorities about the shooter and help them identify the perpetrator.

6 - To carry out appropriate preventive measures on occasions when some citizens may resort to firing shots, for example: raising banners or printing warning on invitation cards and others.

7. To call upon citizens to express their feelings through various literary, poetic, artistic and other cultural means, reflecting the extent of progress and advancement of society and not jeopardizing the security and health of people.

8. To raise awareness of the dangers of possession and use of firearms and their consequences on the person, his family and society.

9. To raise awareness of the relevant legal penalties resulting from the violation of these laws."

Premier Hariri gave the following speech: "Let us talk straightforwardly: All the Lebanese from all the sects and regions are against terrorism. The reason is clear: terrorism blindly affects innocent civilians, children, elders, young men and women. Let me ask you: what do we call the stray bullet that kills an innocent child, a man, a woman or an elder? Why should an innocent child playing in front of his house receive a stray bullet, if a couple is getting married? Or an innocent young girl sitting in her house, if someone passes the baccalaureate or the brevet? Or the father or mother working hard to secure a decent life for their children, if there's a funeral or a wedding in a distant or nearby area? Yes, the stray bullet is terrorist. The stray bullet is terrorist against all Lebanese from all regions, sects, social classes and political affiliations. Not a day passes by without hearing about a tragedy in our country caused by indiscriminate shooting during events or without events! This terrorism must stop! We should all stand in its face, and we will like we stand before all terrorism.

There is no difference between the terrorism hiding behind religion or politics, and the terrorism hiding behind joy, sadness, success or ignorance. We are used to saying during these tragedies: Where is the State? And today the state is saying: Where is society? Where are the religious leaders? The mayors? The members of municipal councils? The MPs? The citizens? Are they making pressure to prevent interference with the police or the judiciary for the benefit of random shooters? Are they boycotting events that witness random shooting? Are they reporting every random shooter? Are they raising awareness before and after each occasion on the dangers of this terrorism that is claiming daily the lives of our children and our parents, our elders and young people, without any cause?

All the world is saying today that Lebanon is living a small miracle, compared to what is happening in the region, thanks to the daily work to maintain stability and to the sacrifices of the Lebanese army, to the sacrifices of the Internal Security Forces and all the security forces.

But what is the use of all the work to maintain stability, to enhance economy, secure employment opportunities for the Lebanese? What is the use of traveling the world to mobilize international support for investment in infrastructure and public services, to secure education and medical care for our children? What is the use of all of this if any Lebanese is exposed to death at any moment and any place by a stray bullet?

The army and security forces are doing their job and even more, and we praise them for their efforts. But it is not enough. The whole society must do its work. We believe that our army is heroic, because it knows when to use weapons, whether to defend the country or attack any terrorist. The real man is the one who respects the law and the lives of people. Men are the soldiers who know when to use their guns and when to shoot, but those who shoot randomly are not men. They think they are asserting their manhood by shooting indiscriminately but this indicates that they have a lack of manhood.

A few days ago we celebrated World Peace Day and Lebanon is among the country committed to the United Nations sustainable development goals, in particular Goal 16 related to Peace, justice and advocacy to control small arms and light weapons. Today, we are launching a campaign with you, you the local leaders, municipalities and mayors, to sign a code of honor that links ethical restrictions and legal restrictions, the citizens and the state. What we are launching today, will move to other provinces.

From here as well, we launch a consultative legislative path that starts with people's opinion polls, and meetings with all the concerned people, with the best local and international experts, to get the best draft law, to combat this terrorist phenomenon, not just for Lebanon, but to be a model for our entire Arab region. We will work with all those who influence the behavior of people: parties, associations, scouts, media and educational institutions, Unions to raise awareness, to work, to pressure, so the random shooter becomes rejected by his environment. Time has come to stop this phenomenon, to save our children and people in all of Lebanon, from the terrorism disguised in habits that are not related to our religious beliefs, neither to our cultural traditions nor to what we all deserve, a dignified and safe life free of stray bullets and random fear."

Prime Minister Hariri, and the mayors and presidents of municipality, then signed the Code of honor

Source: AFP