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On Saturday, Lebanon marks the first anniversary of the start of popular demonstrations against authority and demanding its departure, through a series of central movements and demonstrations from downtown Beirut to the site of the horrible port explosion, at a time when that the country faces its worst economic and political crisis.
Hundreds of protesters flocked to central Beirut on Saturday afternoon. Some carried the Lebanese flag and several banners, one of which read: “October 17 is not a memory, it is the story of a confrontation between a corrupt authority and a people.”
“For a year we have been on the streets, making economic and living demands, and nothing has changed so far,” Abd Sabbagh, 70, told AFP.
“Our demand is to change the corrupt political class, which is still fighting for actions, positions and chairs, and its corruption is still present in the country,” he added.
On October 17, 2019, the government’s attempt to impose a cheap tariff on the free telecommunications service through the WhatsApp application was the spark that unleashed the first movements. Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese took to the streets of Beirut, the south, the north and the Bekaa, in unprecedented 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.
From Martyrs Square, which was the most prominent demonstration plaza a year ago, protesters will march to the port of Beirut, where at 18:07 (15:07 GMT) they light a torch in a specially designed metal pattern for the occasion with the motto “October 17 Revolution”. .
‘Government fallen’
The departure of the political class was the main demand of the protesters. 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 gave way with the formation of the government, which approved an economic rescue document, from which negotiations began with the International Monetary Fund that did not last long, then with the outbreak of the new Corona virus and closure measures general, in addition to the repression of protesters by the security forces.
Omar Wakim told France Presse: “The October 17 Revolution was able to impose the ability to communicate the opinion of the people … and this is one of its most important achievements,” adding: “The battle is very long with who for decades have controlled the articulations of the State. “
The explosion in the port of Beirut, which authorities attributed to the storage of large quantities of ammonium nitrate, fueled anger in the street, which accused the political class of negligence. 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 maneuver that angered protesters opposed to the authority and some political forces.
Aoun reiterated in his tweet on Saturday his willingness to work with the protesters. “One year after the start of the popular movements, I still have my hand outstretched to work together to achieve the demands for reform,” he said.
“It is not possible to reform outside the institutions and it is not too late,” he added.
‘A terrible year’
Faced with successive crises and political stalemate, Jan Kubic, the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, said in a statement on Friday that “the grievances and legitimate needs of the Lebanese people have been neglected during a terrible year.”
He said: “The reforms that Lebanon needs are known. The ruling political elites have repeatedly pledged to implement them, without delivering on their promises, reinforcing the status quo and paralysis.”
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.”
However, former academic and minister Tariq Mitri said in a tweet that “the strength of the popular movement is to continue, to overcome disappointments, to stimulate the energies that were opened within a year.” “It cannot be measured by what has been achieved in terms of political change, or by its ability to generate new political elites, but by promises that it continues to carry, amid all the pain, fatigue, the feeling of powerlessness and the desire to run away and run away, “he added.
In the northern city of Tripoli, which was dubbed the “Bride of the Revolution” because of the peaceful protests it has witnessed for months, Taha Ratl (37 years old) told France Press: “Our revolution … it continues and will not die until we meet our demands. “
During his participation in the demonstration on Friday night, he emphasized that “what we want is for them to leave.”
