Angry reactions continued on Sunday over a statement by the President of the General Labor Confederation Beshara al-Asmar, in which he insulted the late former Patriarch Cardinal Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir.
Asmar was arrested on Saturday after he insulted Sfeir in a leaked video, at the beginning of a press conference. Asmar appeared in the video while mocking Sfeir, who passed away a few days before, as he was unaware the microphones were already turned on.
In his weekly Sunday sermon, Patriarch Beshara al-Rai said he was deeply hurt by “the terrible harm” to Sfeir’s memory.
Rai received on Sunday a delegation headed by Foreign Affairs Minister Gebran Bassil.
In remarks following the visit, Bassil said: “Asmar’s words are evidence of a problem of morals and moral decadence.”
“We are here today to stand by Bkirki in its national message to preserve Lebanon’s message,” he added.
The minister also announced a boycott of the General Confederation of Lebanese Workers (GCLW) until its members make necessary review of the situation.
Meanwhile, Economy Minister Mansour Bteish announced Sunday that the ministry would annul a contract with Asmar over his abusive remarks against late former Maronite patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir.
“After his condemned moral fell and his detention by the judiciary, the Ministry of Economy and Commerce will, tomorrow, scrap a Beirut Silos work contract with Beshara al-Asmar,” Bteish tweeted.
