Argentina: Law in Support of “Lebanon Cannot Wait” Campaign Approved

On August 20, the Legislature of the province of Córdoba approved a bill presented by MST legislator Luciana Echevarría, declaring the institution´s support for the important international campaign “Lebanon cannot wait” that the MST has been promoting in Argentina and the International Socialist League is carrying out around the world, with the aim of raising funds for those affected by the explosion in the port of Beirut.

We reproduce the text of the approved law here.

THE LEGISLATURE OF THE PROVINCE OF CÓRDOBA DECLARES

Its support for the solidarity campaign “Lebanon cannot wait” in order to raise funds for those affected by the explosion in Beirut on August 4.

FOUNDATIONS

The terrible explosion that took place in the port of Beirut on August 4 left an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Lebanon. Hundreds lost their lives, thousands were injured, dozens disappeared and 300,000 people were left homeless. International organizations estimate that 100,000 children have suffered directly from the explosion, due to personal injury or the destruction of their homes.

All the causes of the explosion point to a case of negligence due to the storage of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate during six years in the port, without the necessary security measures, with the seriousness of what this means. The devastation that occurred after the explosion was compounded by the financial crisis and hyperinflation in the country, which is going through its worst economic crisis since the end of the civil war. Thousands of people have been pushed into poverty, and in October the situation sparked the largest anti-government protests the country has seen in more than a decade.

Precisely this neglect took place in Beirut, where poverty is rising rapidly and rents have risen to astronomical levels due to a housing shortage, life has become much more unbearable for the poor workers, who have enormous difficulties in accessing basic food supplies, now aggravated. These are the conditions of the people who must suffer this level of catastrophe.

The International Socialist League, and the MST as an Argentine party that is a member of it, has launched an urgent campaign to collect economic aid to send to our comrades of the Movement for Change in Beirut, as a solidarity contribution to help them cope with such difficult moments. In this context, the #LebanonCannotWait campaign invites you to collaborate with “a dollar for Lebanon” or its equivalent in national currency.