In Beirut, 1 million march against Lebanon's beleaguered government
(12-01) 15:57 PST BEIRUT -- As night closed in on downtown Beirut, Iman Fakhiya and her sister-in-law, Amal Muhammad, wrapped themselves in a tiger-striped fleece blanket and settled in for what could be an extended siege of Lebanon's government.
Around her, young men in tight T-shirts smoked water pipes and boomed martial music, courtesy of the Shiite militant group, Hezbollah.
Earlier in the day, at least 1 million loyal to Hezbollah and its political allies poured onto downtown streets, dwarfing last week's show of support for the government and delivering a sweeping rebuke to Lebanon's political establishment. Squares and bridges were a sea of Lebanese flags as supporters of Hezbollah and the Shiite group Amal, as well as Christian groups such as Marida and Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement, took to the streets in an attempt to topple the government.
The crowd of mostly young people stretched from the Christian neighborhood of Gemayze in the east, to government buildings ringed by concertina wire on the other side of downtown toward the west. They filled alleyways and overpasses, and everyone seemed to carry the Lebanese flag, its red and white stripes framing a green cedar tree. But the Lebanese could not resist putting their own party's stamp on their outfits, with Hezbollah members draping the militia's flag about their shoulders and Free Patriotic Movement supporters wearing orange sweatshirts or baseball caps.
Fakhiya and Muhammad were part of a crowd of some 2,000 people who remained in the square, vowing to stay until the U.S.-backed government of Fuad Saniora resigns. It's the latest chapter in a political crisis that has seen assassinations, the exit of Syrian troops, a war with Israel and now what some observers say is a coup attempt.
"If they need a week, we'll sit here for a week," said Fakhiya as Muhammad huddled next to her. "If they need more (time), we'll stay more."
Nearby, another protester, Muhammad Obaid, 40, echoed a common complaint of the opposition, which is now called the March 8 coalition. "The real problem with this government is that they did not stand with us during the war," (with Israel) he said.
On July 12, Hezbollah, which is supported and armed by both Syria and Iran, captured two Israeli soldiers, prompting a massive retaliation by the Jewish state that turned into a 34-day war. In the aftermath, more than 1,000 Lebanese died -- mostly civilians -- and the country's infrastructure and industries were devastated. Hezbollah says the Lebanese government, which is led by the Sunni politician Saniora, quietly hoped for the Shiite group to lose the war so that it would no longer be a viable political opponent.
However, Hezbollah emerged from the conflict stronger than ever, demanding more power for itself and its allies.
After six cabinet ministers from their political bloc resigned, and Christian industry minister Pierre Gemayel was murdered on Nov. 21, the March 8 forces hope to force the resignation of the Saniora government so that new elections can be held -- which they feel they can win.
The stakes are high for all sides involved, said Reva Bhalla, director of global analysis for Stratfor, a research firm based in Austin, Texas. "Their (Hezbollah) whole overall intent here is to completely paralyze the government and get them to accede to their demands," she said. "But they were very concerned things would spiral out of control."
Some analysts say Hezbollah leaders fear that foreign intelligence agents -- including those from Syria -- will act as agents provocateurs and encourage a violent confrontation. So far, with a few minor exceptions, Hezbollah seems to have avoided that problem.
Friday's protesters were for the most part friendly and respectful of the call by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah not to damage property or resort to violence, but a group of young toughs did celebrate the murder of Pierre Gemayel. "Congratulations to Pierre, when is Geagea next?" they chanted. Samir Geagea is the leader of a Christian political party called the Lebanese Forces, and is particularly hated by Lebanese Shiites. They called Hassan Sabaa, the interior minister, a Jew.
It was only after a reporter asked the youths why they were chanting such things that a Hezbollah security guard intervened.
"They are not polite," the guard said as he pushed the reporter away roughly. "I don't want you talking to people who aren't polite."
As night fell, trucks carrying portable toilets and water tanks arrived while tents were being set up in downtown's Martyrs' Square. The protesters then closed off streets around the Grand Serail, the prime minister's headquarters where Saniora and his Cabinet were holed up. Soldiers told the protesters to move away and allow government officials to enter and leave the building, but members of the Hezbollah security forces said they took orders only from Hezbollah commanders. It took phone calls from Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri, head of the Amal party and a staunch Hezbollah ally, to defuse the situation and open up the streets once again.
While such actions may be the work of hotheads, they give weight to official claims that Hezbollah and its allies are trying to oust the government.
"This is an attempted coup but we will remain strong," Progressive Socialist Party head Walid Jumblatt told a news conference shortly before the protests began.
Meanwhile, Stratfor's Bhalla says there is a good possibility that Saniora will resign. "The only question is who would replace him," she said. "There aren't any strong figures in the Sunni blocs."
Saniora, however, vows not to step down.
"We will not allow a democratic government to be toppled or its institutions," Saniora said in a televised address. "Nor will we allow a state within a state. We are the legitimate government and responsible for all Lebanese."
But for Fakhiya, it is only a matter of time before the prime minister is gone as she vowed to stay no matter what. "It doesn't matter," she said referring to the cold as she pulled a blanket tighter to her body. "It's not a problem as long as we achieve what we want."
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/01/BAG4UMNSQ93.DTL
(12-01) 15:57 PST BEIRUT -- As night closed in on downtown Beirut, Iman Fakhiya and her sister-in-law, Amal Muhammad, wrapped themselves in a tiger-striped fleece blanket and settled in for what could be an extended siege of Lebanon's government.
Around her, young men in tight T-shirts smoked water pipes and boomed martial music, courtesy of the Shiite militant group, Hezbollah.
Earlier in the day, at least 1 million loyal to Hezbollah and its political allies poured onto downtown streets, dwarfing last week's show of support for the government and delivering a sweeping rebuke to Lebanon's political establishment. Squares and bridges were a sea of Lebanese flags as supporters of Hezbollah and the Shiite group Amal, as well as Christian groups such as Marida and Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement, took to the streets in an attempt to topple the government.
The crowd of mostly young people stretched from the Christian neighborhood of Gemayze in the east, to government buildings ringed by concertina wire on the other side of downtown toward the west. They filled alleyways and overpasses, and everyone seemed to carry the Lebanese flag, its red and white stripes framing a green cedar tree. But the Lebanese could not resist putting their own party's stamp on their outfits, with Hezbollah members draping the militia's flag about their shoulders and Free Patriotic Movement supporters wearing orange sweatshirts or baseball caps.
Fakhiya and Muhammad were part of a crowd of some 2,000 people who remained in the square, vowing to stay until the U.S.-backed government of Fuad Saniora resigns. It's the latest chapter in a political crisis that has seen assassinations, the exit of Syrian troops, a war with Israel and now what some observers say is a coup attempt.
"If they need a week, we'll sit here for a week," said Fakhiya as Muhammad huddled next to her. "If they need more (time), we'll stay more."
Nearby, another protester, Muhammad Obaid, 40, echoed a common complaint of the opposition, which is now called the March 8 coalition. "The real problem with this government is that they did not stand with us during the war," (with Israel) he said.
On July 12, Hezbollah, which is supported and armed by both Syria and Iran, captured two Israeli soldiers, prompting a massive retaliation by the Jewish state that turned into a 34-day war. In the aftermath, more than 1,000 Lebanese died -- mostly civilians -- and the country's infrastructure and industries were devastated. Hezbollah says the Lebanese government, which is led by the Sunni politician Saniora, quietly hoped for the Shiite group to lose the war so that it would no longer be a viable political opponent.
However, Hezbollah emerged from the conflict stronger than ever, demanding more power for itself and its allies.
After six cabinet ministers from their political bloc resigned, and Christian industry minister Pierre Gemayel was murdered on Nov. 21, the March 8 forces hope to force the resignation of the Saniora government so that new elections can be held -- which they feel they can win.
The stakes are high for all sides involved, said Reva Bhalla, director of global analysis for Stratfor, a research firm based in Austin, Texas. "Their (Hezbollah) whole overall intent here is to completely paralyze the government and get them to accede to their demands," she said. "But they were very concerned things would spiral out of control."
Some analysts say Hezbollah leaders fear that foreign intelligence agents -- including those from Syria -- will act as agents provocateurs and encourage a violent confrontation. So far, with a few minor exceptions, Hezbollah seems to have avoided that problem.
Friday's protesters were for the most part friendly and respectful of the call by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah not to damage property or resort to violence, but a group of young toughs did celebrate the murder of Pierre Gemayel. "Congratulations to Pierre, when is Geagea next?" they chanted. Samir Geagea is the leader of a Christian political party called the Lebanese Forces, and is particularly hated by Lebanese Shiites. They called Hassan Sabaa, the interior minister, a Jew.
It was only after a reporter asked the youths why they were chanting such things that a Hezbollah security guard intervened.
"They are not polite," the guard said as he pushed the reporter away roughly. "I don't want you talking to people who aren't polite."
As night fell, trucks carrying portable toilets and water tanks arrived while tents were being set up in downtown's Martyrs' Square. The protesters then closed off streets around the Grand Serail, the prime minister's headquarters where Saniora and his Cabinet were holed up. Soldiers told the protesters to move away and allow government officials to enter and leave the building, but members of the Hezbollah security forces said they took orders only from Hezbollah commanders. It took phone calls from Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri, head of the Amal party and a staunch Hezbollah ally, to defuse the situation and open up the streets once again.
While such actions may be the work of hotheads, they give weight to official claims that Hezbollah and its allies are trying to oust the government.
"This is an attempted coup but we will remain strong," Progressive Socialist Party head Walid Jumblatt told a news conference shortly before the protests began.
Meanwhile, Stratfor's Bhalla says there is a good possibility that Saniora will resign. "The only question is who would replace him," she said. "There aren't any strong figures in the Sunni blocs."
Saniora, however, vows not to step down.
"We will not allow a democratic government to be toppled or its institutions," Saniora said in a televised address. "Nor will we allow a state within a state. We are the legitimate government and responsible for all Lebanese."
But for Fakhiya, it is only a matter of time before the prime minister is gone as she vowed to stay no matter what. "It doesn't matter," she said referring to the cold as she pulled a blanket tighter to her body. "It's not a problem as long as we achieve what we want."
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/01/BAG4UMNSQ93.DTL
