MTV Airs Campaign Against Syrian Refugees In Lebanon

MTV seems to have partnered with advertising agency Phenomena for new campaign under the title “UNdo The Damage”. Airing in-between series on the Lebanese TV channel and occupying billboards all over the city, the campaign is calling for immediate action to alleviate the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon.

The campaign alleges that Syrian refugees make up 40% of the population in Lebanon, backed up with a harmful video that feeds into xenophobic stereotypes against refugees. The video depicts a family of nine, with seven children and one on the way.

Filled with misinformation and misrepresentation, the campaign’s portrayal of the refugee crisis, particularly targeting Syrians in Lebanon, contributes to the increasing hostility towards refugees. According to Feras Dalatey, an editor for Misbar, the campaign greatly exaggerates the percentage of refugees in Lebanon, as the actual number falls around 15% according to UNHCR spokesperson Dalal Harb.

The statistic that is being used by the campaign was released last year by Lebanese General Security without clarifying the methodology used to reach this number, or whether it includes registered and unregistered refugees, returnees, or those with temporary residency.

To make things worse, the campaign uses photos of refugees who aren’t even residing in Lebanon. Dalatey found that the images are actually stock photos of Syrian refugees in Jordan and multiple regions in Turkey, some dating back to 2015.

Such hate campaigns against Syrian refugees are not new. Last year, Lebanese authorities spearheaded a deportation campaign after the UNHCR provided the data on Syrian refugees in Lebanon, which has since worsened the anti-refugee sentiment in the country.

While everyone can agree that the refugee crisis in Lebanon ought to be resolved (for the sake of refugees who live in subhuman conditions), campaigns that incite hatred with no real action plans are surely not the way to go about it.