Foreign tourists in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, were attacked and assaulted by a group of youths without the intervention of security forces to defend them.
A video clip of a young man shouting at tourists, “infidels”, went viral. People gathered around the tourists and cursed them as they tried to flee. The group quickly chased them and tried to block their way.
The video sparked widespread condemnation on social media in Libya. Activists criticized the “barbarism” of the youth, and said it was offensive to the country’s image and culture.
Activist Hakim Hijazi said, “These young people from Tripoli… what do we expect from a generation raised on chaos?”
While the activist, Ruqaya called for the prosecution and imprisonment of these young men. ”What they did is not of the morals of the Libyans, and an uncivilized act,” she explained. She also wondered about the “absence of the police to protect tourists!”
Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime, tourism has plummeted due to the fragile security situation.
Tripoli ranked 50th in the world, in the Crime Index classification for cities, and second in the Arab world, with Damascus coming first. Tripoli received 64.27 degrees on the crime index, a high crime level.
The Crime Prevalence Index aims to assess the general level of crime in 135 countries around the world. The crime index is based on several criteria; such as murder, robbery, and rape.
Notably, Libya is currently facing a political crisis after the Libyan Parliament swore in a new Prime Minister, former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha, to lead a new interim government in February. MP’s argued that the incumbent PM, Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba’s mandate expired when the elections failed to take place.
Dbaiba has refused to cede power, amid the fallout from a failed attempt to hold elections last December.
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