Sally Hafiz broke into a Blom Bank branch with a toy gun and withdrew €13,000 of the €20,000 deposited from the family’s account. By pretending to be pregnant, she managed to elude the police. She needed the money to pay for the medical treatment of her sister, who had cancer. From her shelter, she accuses: “We are the country of the mafias.”
Beirut () – Impressive! There is no other word to describe the adventure of Sally Hafiz, 28, a fearless activist who became the muse of many Lebanese when she took a Blom Bank branch hostage on September 14 (Bank of Lebanon and Overseas) . Thanks to the assault, he was able to forcibly withdraw nearly 13,000 dollars deposited in his sister’s account, frozen – like that of many other citizens – by an arbitrary measure of capital control imposed overnight by credit institutions. Lebanese in October 2019. And that is still in force today even though it does not have legal backing.
“We are the country of the mafias. If you are not wolves, other wolves will eat you,” he told Reuters in an interview in a remote part of the Bekaa, where he has been hiding from police. She is an architect and interior decorator and despite herself she became a national heroine when she decided to take action.
In some dramatic footage, played all over local television, Sally Hafiz can be seen standing on a bank desk, brandishing her nephew’s plastic gun and directing clerks to hand her wads of dollars.
Sally Hafiz’s raid was supported by a crowd of people who gathered outside the Blom Bank in the suburb of Sodeco. “Maybe they thought she was a hero,” she said, “because I was the first woman to do something like that, in a deeply patriarchal society where a woman’s voice is rarely heard.” The young woman added that she never intended to hurt or hurt anyone but, at the same time, she says that she is “exasperated by the government’s inertia.”
“All in cahoots”
“They are all in cahoots with each other, to rob us and let us slowly starve to death,” he added. He also wanted to clarify that he only made the decision to act after he tried in vain to turn to the manager and directors of the credit institution for information. In response, Blom Bank said in a statement that the branch had been cooperative and attempted to respond to its withdrawal request, but asked for supporting documents, as it does with all clients claiming humanitarian exemptions to informal checks. And illegal.
Two days after receiving a negative answer about the funds, Sally Hafiz returned with a toy gun, but very similar to a real one – owned by her nephew – and a small amount of fuel mixed with water. She doused herself with this substance and threatened to set herself on fire.
The woman, known for her activism, insists that she only acted to obtain the necessary funds for the hospitalization of her older sister, who suffers from a brain tumor that has caused her to lose mobility and speech.
Exasperated like thousands of Lebanese by a financial crisis that has lasted three years, Sally Hafiz was one of five people who robbed a bank that day. A black series that led credit institutions to close their doors throughout this week, with total disregard for the needs and requirements of current account holders and small savers.
For obvious reasons, the president of the Federation of Bank Employees, Georges Hage, condemned the assault. In his opinion, popular anger should not be directed against the credit institutions, but against the State. But who is primarily responsible for this crisis? A crisis that, as the World Bank pointed out, has been “orchestrated by the country’s ruling class” and has so far caused the dismissal of some 6,000 employees.
Sally Hafiz managed to recover just over 13,000 euros of the 20,500 euros that her family had deposited. And she had the foresight to ask for a receipt, so as not to be charged with theft.
He then slipped out a window that overlooked the back of the branch and returned to his apartment. Hours later she discovered that his building had been surrounded by police forces, but then posted on Facebook that she was already at the airport, on her way to Istanbul. Covering her head with a chador and stuffing her belly with clothing to simulate pregnancy, she managed to escape past police checkpoints.
“I got off the plane and walked past everyone. They wished me luck with the delivery. It was… like being in a movie!” she added, clarifying that she would turn herself in as soon as Lebanese judges end the strike, which has delayed legal proceedings and leaves detainees languishing in jail.
An accomplice who helped her escape and was subsequently arrested was released on bail on 21 September and was greeted triumphantly outside the Beirut police headquarters where he was being held in custody. She said that he was willing to take the same risk again to help anyone who wants to recover “for humanitarian reasons” the money she blocked from her. And several associations of current account holders supported the decision of the young activist.
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