Victoria YanSahar Houri| The Daily Star
Hundreds of Beirutis and other residents of Lebanon Sunday organized their own version of the “yellow vest” protests that began in Paris, and armed riot police and soldiers responded by clamping down violently on demonstrators and journalists alike. Several activist groups organized the protest on social media, calling on the state to address its shortcomings on a throng of issues. The demonstration coincided with the seven-month anniversary of the Cabinet crisis, despite suggestions from top officials that the government would be announced Saturday night.
At 11:30 a.m., at least 1,000 peaceful demonstrators from across the country amassed in Beirut’s Martyrs’ Square, sharing food and coffee and playing music. Soldiers nearby observed the crowd, and four or five armored vehicles parked across from Mohammad al-Amin Mosque, though they did not clash with protesters.
All of the morning protesters seemed united in a desire to see a change in what they view as the country’s failed leadership.
But specific demands varied from individual to individual. Supporters of the Sabaa Party, a civil society party that emerged following the 2015 garbage crisis, passed out signs demanding the government’s immediate formation; other individuals expressed the conviction that a government would do nothing to change the status quo.
“The whole nation is fed up with this corrupt system. This country is led by [the corrupt], by traitors. They have been stealing from us for decades, making us poorer and poorer,” Najat Rai, a resident of Bikfaya, told The Daily Star.
“Lebanon used to be one of the richest countries in the world – our resources, our culture – and now they have destroyed it. We must stop all these criminals. They are trying to f ? us.”
Mohammad Afif Kawkab, an unemployed pastry chef, told The Daily Star that he believed the country’s situation could be remedied only by revolution “with blood.”
However, another vocal camp actively pushed for nonviolent resistance. Zeina Alami, a Tripoli resident aligned with Sabaa, said she was against violence as a strategy for change in the country, instead proffering more general demands.
“There is no pity in the hearts of politicians. Our air is polluted, our water is polluted, we lack rights, our garbage is eating us alive. We’re here asking for the minimum. We’re simply asking for our rights.”
By 12:30 p.m., protesters had moved toward Riad al-Solh Square, where riot police stood behind blockades and the barbed wire that separates pedestrians from the Grand Serail and Parliament. The demonstration, which at this point comprised several thousand people, remained peaceful.
Sunday afternoon, the Army released a statement “stressing [its] respect for the right of civil protest, freedom of expression and the right to make demands.” It called for “a civil protest” and requested that demonstrators refrain from “vandalizing private and public property.”
Events slowly took a turn, though, around 2 p.m., when a group of about 50 demonstrators gathered under the Fouad Chehab Bridge. Some toppled dumpsters in an attempt to block Bechara al-Khoury, the main road artery connecting northern and southern Beirut, drawing onlookers to the scene.
Soon after, additional demonstrators, along with riot police and soldiers in armored vehicles, arrived to manage the situation, enflaming tensions. A standoff between armed soldiers and demonstrators turned violent when the soldiers beat unarmed civilians with batons.
“I was helping them take garbage off the roads, but when I stand peacefully protesting for improved health care and job opportunities in Lebanon, they kicked the shit out of me,” Ali Hammoud, a young demonstrator seen beaten by soldiers, told The Daily Star after tensions had briefly simmered.
By 2:30 p.m., about 600 demonstrators chanting “Revolution!” made their way up Bechara al-Khoury to south Beirut’s Ras al-Nabeh. The majority of these protesters remained peaceful, but some began throwing water bottles and toppling dumpsters.
The march out of Downtown triggered a heightened response from the Army. Well over 25 armed military vehicles, the majority resembling tanks with machines guns installed above, followed the protesters, who were unarmed, and the soldiers intermittently beat them up.
“You see this? This is Lebanon. These are our rights,” one of the protesters shouted as the Army dragged two unarmed civilians into an armored vehicle.
As demonstrators moved toward Ras al-Nabeh, many attempted to communicate their nonviolent intentions to police, holding their hands in the air to preempt retaliation. Some of the peaceful protesters went so far as to link arms with soldiers in a show of unity.
By 4 p.m., groups of people were still scattered Downtown and along Bechara al-Khoury, while a mass of people headed toward Hamra. The dispersion proved chaotic for the Army, and vehicles sped in all directions, the soldiers driving them having no insight as to where to go as crowds fanned out.
“We’re being very peaceful in our demonstrations despite the fact that our country has completely fallen apart,” Mariam Keserwani, an activist with the “You Stink” movement, one of the main organizers of the 2015 garbage crisis protests, told The Daily Star in Hamra.
“The situation is too much for any citizen to accept. The Army has been very, very violent; they have assaulted people. For God’s sake, look at how many people they have sent out in addition to the police. This is excessive. Why aren’t we allowed to deliver our message?”
As a crowd of about 400 people made its way down Hamra, a number of Army vehicles followed, some facing off against protesters, others negotiating with the crowd and still others using blunt force to put an end to the demonstration. In Hamra, some stores closed and shoppers could be seen taking refuge inside.
Small crowds throughout the city still lingered in the streets around 8:15 p.m. The Army remained present, preventing demonstrators from gathering in large groups.
Protests were also staged in south Lebanon’s Tyre and Nabatieh, as well as in north Lebanon’s Tripoli.