US Envoy Sparks Outrage in Lebanon With “Act Civilised” Comment

A senior US diplomat has landed himself in hot water in Beirut after telling Lebanese journalists to “act civilised” during a press briefing, sparking anger, calls for a boycott, and accusations of colonial arrogance.

Tom Barrack, Washington’s ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy for Syria, made the remarks on Tuesday after meeting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to discuss Hezbollah disarmament.

Facing a room full of reporters eager to ask questions, Barrack scolded them for shouting over one another. What followed crossed a line for many.

“We’re going to have a different set of rules… please be quiet for a moment,” Barrack told the press. “And I want to tell you something, the moment this starts becoming chaotic, like animalistic, we’re gone. So, you want to know what’s happening? Act civilised, act kind, act tolerant, because this is the problem with what is happening in the region.”

The envoy added: “In cadence with your kindness, your interest and your thoughtful questions, we’ll give you responses. If that’s not how you’d like to operate, we’re gone.”

That phrasing set off immediate outrage across Lebanon.

The Lebanese Presidency issued a statement on X, stressing its “full appreciation” for journalists and thanking them for their dedication. The country’s Union of Journalists went further, calling for a media boycott of any future Barrack events until he apologises publicly.

“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 statement read.

Commentators argued the remarks expose how Washington really views the region. Mohamad Hasan Sweidan, a Beirut-based columnist at The Cradle, said:

“Today, Tom Barrack is reminding us how they view people of the region by defining their actions as animalistic.”

For now, Barrack has not issued an apology. The US State Department has stayed silent. But the controversy underscores once again how careless words from a foreign envoy can cut deep in a region where respect, dignity and press freedom remain sensitive and fiercely defended.