'Act civilised': US envoy's racist outburst ignites outrage in Lebanon

US envoy Tom Barrack sparked outrage in Lebanon on Tuesday after insulting local journalists with remarks widely condemned as patronising, racist, and reflective of Washington’s complicity in the region’s suffering.

Barrack, who was in Beirut to push for Hezbollah’s disarmament alongside a US delegation, lashed out at reporters during a press briefing following talks with President Joseph Aoun at the Baabda Palace.

"We're going to have a different set of rules… please, be quiet for a moment," he declared, before going further: "The moment this starts becoming chaotic, like animalistic, we're gone. So you want to know what’s happening, act civilised, act kind, act tolerant, because this is the problem with what's happening in the region."

"So I beg you – do you think this is fun for us? Do you think this is economically beneficial for Morgan and I to be here putting up with this insanity?" Barrack continued, referring to US deputy special envoy Morgan Ortagus who was accompanying him and has also made several visits to Beirut this year.

His comments, equating Lebanese journalists with "animals" and blaming the region's "problems" on its people, provoked anger across Lebanon and beyond.

Many slammed Barrack for echoing the same demeaning and colonial attitude long used by the US and Israel to justify their destructive policies in the Middle East.

Journalists and social media users quickly turned the spotlight back on the US, pointing to its own record of chaos and violence - from the deadly January 6 Capitol riot to its ongoing support for Israel's devastating wars in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and elsewhere.

"Who is he to lecture anyone about civilisation while his country arms Israel to bomb hospitals and refugee camps?" one journalist wrote on X.

Lebanon’s Press Editors Syndicate denounced Barrack’s remarks as "beyond the pale of decency and diplomacy" and demanded a public apology. The Photojournalists' Syndicate called his behaviour "a direct insult" and warned it set "a dangerous precedent".

"The arrogance on display here is staggering," the editors’ union said. "Lebanese journalists risk their lives covering wars fuelled by the very policies he represents, only to be demeaned on our own soil by a foreign envoy."

The photojournalists' syndicate called Barrack's comments "a direct insult" that set "a serious and totally unacceptable precedent".

In a statement, it also demanded "an immediate and public apology," rejecting attempts to "downplay the seriousness of what happened or let it pass without accountability".

Even Lebanon's presidency issued a rare rebuke, saying it "regrets the remarks made on its podium by one of its guests" and reaffirmed "full appreciation" for the press.

Barrack’s outburst comes as Washington presses Beirut to strip Hezbollah of its weapons while continuing to shield Israel from accountability for its repeated bombings of Lebanon, Gaza, and Syria.

Rights groups have long accused Israel of war crimes in these attacks, including the deliberate targeting of civilians and journalists - the very people Barrack insulted.