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The U.S. ambassador to Turkey sparked fury on Tuesday for chiding a group of Lebanese journalists to “act civilized” and not be “animalistic,” saying such behavior is responsible for the strife in the Middle East.
During a press conference in Beirut on Tuesday, as reporters asked questions and clamored for his attention — a typical practice in news conferences around the world — Tom Barrack complained about the crowd before he even stepped up to the podium, saying “no no no, I’m not going up there.”
After he stepped up to the podium, he said, “we’re going to have a different set of rules, please be quiet for a moment. The moment that this starts becoming chaotic, like animalistic, we’re gone.”
“Act civilized, act kind, act tolerant, because this is the problem with what’s happening in the region,” he went on. “So, I beg you — do you think this is fun for us? Do you think this is economically beneficial for [Deputy Special Envoy to the Middle East] Morgan [Ortagus] and I to be here, putting up with this insanity and cadence?”
Later, in another gaggle, Barrack, who is also the U.S.’s special envoy for Syria, lectured reporters again. He told them to “be kind, be tolerant” while refusing to answer questions.
Barrack’s comments quickly sparked outrage for their racist and dismissive nature, with many pointing out that his language echoed the colonial mindset behind many of history’s worst atrocities, including the U.S.’s invasions of the Middle East. His comments are among many dehumanizing comments made about people in Arab countries by foreign policy officials in the Trump administration.
“The level of arrogance U.S. officials demonstrate in Lebanon is humiliating for the country,” said Lebanese journalist Ali Hashem.
“Tom Barrack struts into Beirut like a 19th-century colonial commissioner, calls Lebanese journalists ‘animalistic,’ lectures us on ‘civilisation,’ and blames it all on our ‘region.’ That’s not just arrogance, it’s racism,” said Lebanese British journalist Hala Jaber. “You don’t run this country, and you don’t get to insult its people…. Your contempt exposes you, not us.”
Jaber added that the fact that Barrack is Lebanese “makes his condescension even worse.”
Lebanese officials apologized for his behavior. The Union of Journalists in Lebanon called on outlets to boycott events until Barrack issues an apology.
“The union considers Barrack’s comments against journalists not as a mere slip of the tongue or an individual stance, but rather as a reflection of an unacceptable superiority in dealing with the media and an implicit disdain for the essence of journalistic work,” the union said.
“Furthermore, the content of his remarks reflects ingrained colonial arrogance towards the peoples of the region and constitutes a blatant violation of basic diplomatic etiquette and the values that diplomacy should represent — chief among them respect for press freedom and the people’s right to knowledge,” it went on.
Barrack has not apologized. After the backlash, Barrack cancelled planned visits to other cities in southern Lebanon, without providing reasoning.
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