Photo might have caused attack on Arab workers, including Jordanians in Kazakhstan

Jordan

Published: 2019-06-30 11:48

Last Updated: 2024-03-28 14:09


The photo published by the Lebanese engineer, Elie Daoud
The photo published by the Lebanese engineer, Elie Daoud

The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates revealed on Saturday, June 29, 2019, the cause of the attack carried out by a group of Kazakhs against Arab workers, including Jordanians in Kazakhstan.

The attack followed a dispute between an Arab engineer and another local resident of the Kazakh city of Tengiz, who both work at the Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC), the Ministry said in a statement.

The sharp argument prompted a group of Kazakhs to attack all Arab engineers working at the CCC, the Ministry added. 

Meanwhile, a Lebanese TV channel reported that the attack was carried out after the Lebanese engineer, Elie Daoud posted a photo on social media platforms, which deemed offensive to Kazakhstan.

The photo showed the Lebanese engineer holding a wireless device and a Kazakh girl was standing behind him, where the device appeared in the photo covering the girl's mouth.

The photo aroused the anger of the citizens in Kazakhstan who considered it offensive to the girl.

Shortly after the photo spread over social media platforms, a number of Kazakh workers gathered and surrounded the area where the Lebanese man was and started beating all the Arab employees severely.

After many attempts, officials at the CCC tried to take the Arab workers out of the complex, until they were able to transfer them to a city about five hours away from the company's location using buses.

However, the Kazakhs group threw stones at the buses, despite the heavy security presence to secure their exit from the company.

Following the attack, Elie Daoud appeared in a video, where he was speaking the Kazakh language while apologizing for posting the photo, confirming that he did not intend to offend the girl or Kazakhstan.

One of the workers confirmed that the cause of the attack was not only because of the abusive photo but also because of other disputes between the workers due to employment discrimination.

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry's statement did not mention any details regarding the cause of the attack but confirmed that the Jordanian workers suffered minor injuries.

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