“A young woman breaks into a bank in Beirut by force of arms”, “shows her strength to collect her money in order to treat her sister who is ill with cancer”, “the series #banks continues, and the heroine is a Beiruti revolutionary”…all titles that accompanied the incident of the “#Lebanon and the Diaspora” bank, the Sodeco branch, where The young woman, Sally Hafez, resorted to a plastic pistol to collect a certain amount of fresh dollars from her withheld money, with the aim of saving the life of her sister, who is struggling with the worry of expensive treatment on the one hand, and the pain of the dreaded disease on the other.
Sally Hafez, a civil and human rights activist, raised her cry loudly in the arenas of the “Tishreen Uprising”, demanding a decent life like other young men and women who are tired of the country’s situation and the corruption of its rulers. The constant “hitting by the security forces” and “arresting” her did not dissuade her or make her retreat. Today, Sally decided to recover her right by resorting to a plastic weapon that she “laughed” at the security and staff, in a move that reveals the fragility of our reality. In any case, the story of the plastic weapon remains transmitted from Sally, her family, and the “Depositors’ Association”, while the security has not issued any comment until now.
The young woman from Beirut, accompanied by some young men and civil activists, entered the bank, pointing her weapon at the employee, who refused to give her $20,000 from her account, knowing that she had explained to him her sister’s situation and that she might face a real danger that might lead to her life unless the funds needed to enter the hospital were “immediately” available. After taking and replying, things got out of control, and unless the bank management agreed to it peacefully, she gave it to the depositor at the force of arms with a wide heart. She signed the legal papers and went out waving her hand heading towards the airport, where the Turkish capital, Istanbul, was supposed to be her destination before issuing a search warrant. And move them right.
“Her sister is tormenting in front of her, was she supposed to leave her and give up? Oh my one daughter, does anything for the sake of the sand that he loves”… This is how Sally’s mother expressed in an interview with “An-Nahar” regarding the action of her daughter, who “is proud of her and her courage”, explaining “the living difficulties that she faces.” The family in light of the existence of a humanitarian and health situation that is difficult for the infidel, but it did not insult those who sold their conscience and still steal the people and their money under loose slogans that we no longer believe today. Several times with the bank to pay her her right in order to treat her sister, she even took her with her to make sure the administration was correct, but they refused to hear her and asked her to leave.”
In a funny piece of information that the mother revealed to Al-Nahar, we learned that the young woman who caused panic among the security and staff was not carrying a real weapon, but rather a plastic one, in order to complete the process, so that she did not expect anyone to believe her, unlike what happened. “We have been trying to contact her for regarding an hour. I don’t know where she is, but she was able to withdraw half of the amount she requested in dollars, and the rest she got in Lebanese pounds to pay to Hotel Dieu Hospital in Ashrafieh, which asks us to pay the expenses of my 23-year-old daughter’s treatment.”
In a high-pitched message, Sally’s mother directed several questions to the officials and relevant authorities across An-Nahar, in which she asked them: “Who protects those who have no back in a country where patients die at hospital doors and are humiliated in exchange for green leaves that have no value compared to the lives of our loved ones? Is that what is required? To stand and wait for a relief that seems impossible…?”
Not only did the series of banks stop at Sally today, but Aley, specifically “Bank Med”, witnessed a similar event, where the citizen Rami Sharaf El-Din stormed the bank following the latter refused to give him a small amount from his account in fresh dollars, to be stopped at a later time by the security services working on the investigation with him in the meantime. According to An-Nahar’s information, the young man was able to collect part of the amount from the bank, but the accuracy of the number has not been confirmed until now.
Legally, Lawyer Sharif Suleiman told “Al-Nahar” that “two detainees who were with Sally Al-Hafiz in the Al-Helou barracks may face charges of misdemeanour, and what they did was a reaction to the rape of depositors’ money.” As for Representative Halima Al-Qaqour, she considered that “what is required is a fair solution for depositors and not to pass suspicious laws.”
In a related context, Hassan Mughniyeh, head of the Depositors’ Association, explained to “Al-Nahar” that “as the Depositors’ Association, we do not call for violence or resort to arms in order to obtain our rights or reap our lives, but today we cannot stop the depositor, especially if it is a “life or death” issue. Or wait until President Najib Mikati’s plan, which we promised months ago, is implemented, and so far it has not been implemented,” noting that “the banks may go to strike in response to what is happening recently as an objectionable step, as they asked to meet with us, but we did not accept and we will not do that. There was no goodwill initiative.
Away from the controversy, the Lebanese street was divided between supporters and opponents. It is necessary to mention the compelling circumstances facing a large number of depositors who are unable to treat their families or provide for their basic needs as a result of the arbitrary decisions taken by banks once morest them, under the pretext of “bankruptcy of the sector”, so that the depositors respond to them in their own way under the slogan “What was taken by force cannot be recovered.” By force.”
