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  • FRIDAY DECEMBER 1 2006 11:00 PM

Hezbollah Supporters Flood Beirut, Demand New Government

Submitted by legionnaire

Edited by erin_broadley

Tags: Hezbollah, Lebanon, government, protest

Fallout from the assassination of Pierre Gemayel in Lebanon continued today, with Hezbollah organizing hundreds of thousands of supporters to protest in Beirut, demanding a resignation of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

Police estimated its size at 800,000 people, but Hezbollah claimed it was larger, the Associated Press news agency said.

Speaking from behind a bullet-proof glass screen, Christian opposition leader Michel Aoun told the cheering crowd that the current government was unconstitutional and should resign.

He said they had "made corruption a daily affair."

Mr. Siniora's government has vowed to stand firm against what he has called an attempted coup.

"Lebanon's independence is threatened and its democratic system is in danger," he said on Thursday.

Meanwhile, US State Department spokesman Tom Case expressed concern, saying "Hezbollah and its allies, with support from Syria and the Iranian government, are continuing to work to destabilize Lebanon."


Hezbollah's increased support within Lebanon can be directly traced to its conflict with Israel earlier this year. Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Hezbollah, proclaimed victory in the conflict against Israel, merely by surviving Israel's onslaught. Their coordinated relief efforts following the war were well timed for maximum propaganda effect, and generated considerable sympathy for the organization. Now they're spending that political capital in a big way by trying to pressure the currently democratic Lebanese government to revert to its pro-Syrian, fascist dominated ways.

Hezbollah has been demanding a bigger share in the cabinet that would give it the power to veto government decisions.

The government came to office last year in the first election held after the withdrawal of Syrian troops originally stationed in Lebanon during the civil war.


If Hezbollah wants to play a larger role in the Lebanese government then they're going to have to do what every other group who wants to participate in a democratic government does: field candidates in a general election and let the voters put them in power. It seems fairly obvious that they have enough supporters to at least do that with some candidates, the fact that they're looking to circumvent democracy in order to gain power suggests that they don't have a whole lot of respect for the democratic process as a whole. And that does not bode well for one of the Middle East's few functioning democracies.

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Comments
YUSUF

YUSUF

Detroit, MI
November 2006

DEC 02, 2006 08:06 AM

If Hezbollah wants to play a larger role in the Lebanese government then they're going to have to do what every other group who wants to participate in a democratic government does: field candidates in a general election and let the voters put them in power.



Your criticism doesn't take in to account that (by decades old system) the Shiites are locked out of the President and Prime Minister positions, even thought they are the largest group.

I don't see what's undemocratic about mass demonstrations -Nobody is threatening violence here. They are trying to "bring down" the govt coalition, so that there can be new elections... this is constitutional. This happens in Israel all the time, and in many parliamentary democracies such as Italy. It's commonplace. (Not in the American system though).


YUSUF

YUSUF

Detroit, MI
November 2006

DEC 02, 2006 08:07 AM

Now if we can only mass demonstrate here in the USA to impeach the current administration, and eject the neocon influence, I can probably sign up about 10,000 thousand American-born Arabic speakers to go to Iraq and help out there. Right now nobody I know wants to do that because the guy in White House is unreasonable and makes horrible decisions that make no sense. Volunteering to help is futile.

My point is, of course such a mass demonstration in Lebanon will be criticized by this administration - - they don't want it to happen here.

hadees

hadees

Austin, TX
December 2003

DEC 02, 2006 01:19 PM

YUSUF said:
My point is, of course such a mass demonstration in Lebanon will be criticized by this administration - - they don't want it to happen here.


While it might be true the administration wouldn't want those kind of demonstration here I think any criticisms would be because they dislike Hezbollah rather then worrying that a demonstration in Lebanon would inspire something similar in the United States.

YUSUF

YUSUF

Detroit, MI
November 2006

DEC 02, 2006 01:41 PM

Yeah Hadees it was early in the morning, I was being cynical :0)
Nevertheless we sure could use a mechanism to force the current govt to step down... we changed a few congessmen but the white house is still inhabited by neocon ideologs.

ricosuave

ricosuave

I'm lost
September 2005

DEC 02, 2006 09:20 PM

The US system of government is designed to generally prevent a 'mob rules' scenario that you are describing.

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