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Beirut (AFP)
On Saturday, the Lebanese people commemorate the first anniversary of the start of the popular demonstrations against authority and demand their departure, through a series of central movements and demonstrations that start from the center of Beirut to the site of the terrible port explosion. , at a time when the country is facing its worst economic and political crisis.
On October 17, 2019, the government’s attempt to charge a fee for communications through the WhatsApp service was the spark that triggered the first movements. Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese took to the streets of Beirut, the south, the north and the Bekaa, in unprecedented protest demonstrations that crossed sectarian and partisan affiliations.
The protesters raised their voices loudly to the combined political class. They demanded her departure, accusing her of corruption and indifference, and blamed her for the worsening economic situation and the narrow living conditions.
Since that date, Lebanon has witnessed successive crises, from an accelerated economic collapse that exacerbated poverty rates, to strict banking restrictions on depositors’ funds, the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic and, finally, the terrible Beirut port explosion, which claimed more than two hundred deaths and thousands of injuries and caused serious damage to various neighborhoods and activities in the capital. Economic.
“I have not lost hope yet, because we are still on the streets and we took the initiative and united in the face of a corrupt and fallen government,” Melissa (42 years old), one of the women who continued to demonstrate in the center, told AFP. from Beirut.
Under the slogan “I am the decision”, civic groups convened a meeting in downtown Beirut, starting at 5:00 pm (12:00 GMT), with the title “The revolution is complementary to eliminate the system of the shame”.
From Martyrs’ Square, which was the most prominent demonstration square a year ago, the protesters set off for the Central Bank and the Interior Ministry in the Hamra area, and for the port of Beirut.
In front of the site of the explosion, from which the Lebanese have not yet recovered, protesters light a torch at 18:07 (15:07 GMT) on an iron model specially designed for the occasion and installed on Friday night. and that bears the slogan “The Revolution of October 17”.
In the city of Tripoli (North), which was dubbed the “Bride of the Revolution” last year because of the peaceful protests it has witnessed for months, Taha Ratl (37 years old) told France Press: “We salute our revolution, which we say continues and will not die until we meet our demands. “
During his participation in a demonstration on Friday night in Tripoli, he addressed the political forces saying: “In a year, they could not offer anything to this country or offer anything to the people who rebelled except quotas.”
“What we want is for them to leave,” he added.
– ‘Working together’ –
The departure of the political class has been the demand of the protesters since they began their movements a year ago. Under pressure from the street, then-Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned. In January, a new government, led by Hassan Diab, was formed with the support of Hezbollah and its allies, who appointed specialist ministers outside the political class.
The momentum of the popular movements declined with the formation of the government, which approved an economic rescue document, from which negotiations with the International Monetary Fund began that did not last long. It quickly collided with interference from powerful political forces and the outbreak of the new Corona virus limited its ability to function.
The explosion in the port of Beirut, which authorities attributed to the storage of large quantities of ammonium nitrate, and officials at various levels were found to be aware of its existence and its danger, once again fueled the anger of the street. Massive demonstrations took place, during which riots and protesters were deliberately targeted, as documented by various human rights organizations. Diab resigned on August 10.
Last month, political forces failed to translate a promise they made to French President Emmanuel Macron to form a government led by Mustafa Adib in two weeks, according to a French roadmap that called for the formation of a government with a “specific mission” to undertake urgent reforms to gain the support of the international community.
After Adib’s apology, Macron granted the political forces a new period of “four to six weeks” on September 27 to form a government, accusing the political class that they had not facilitated the responsibility of “collective treason.”
The President of the Republic, Michel Aoun, postponed binding parliamentary consultations to appoint a prime minister until next week, at a time when Hariri, who led intense contacts to appoint him this week, appears to have a majority that allows him to assume the task of forming a government, in a plan that may enrage anti-authority protesters.
Aoun said in his tweet on Saturday: “One year after the start of the popular movements, my hand is still extended to work together to achieve the demands for reform, as no reform is possible outside the institutions, and it is not too late. “.
Faced with the hardening of the political forces in the face of the protesters’ demands, the attempts to unify the ranks of civil and political groups have not yet borne fruit.
In a tweet, researcher and university professor Jamil Moawad wrote that “the lack of political programs and leadership made the path and progress difficult and somewhat difficult.”
© 2020 AFP
