Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Dueling Protests In Lebanon
Jax
The battle for the streets of Lebanon reached new heights yesterday when hundreds of thousands of anti-Syria protesters, some with Lebanese flags painted on their faces, swamped the centre of Beirut.
Few had any doubt that it was the biggest demonstration the city had ever seen, or was likely ever to see, easily outstripping last week's pro-Syria rally, which drew a crowd of about half a million.
The Lebanese opposition had been stunned by the size of Hizbullah's rally last week and spared no effort to outdo it yesterday. Buses were chartered to bring demonstrators to the capital from around the country, and many arrived in convoys of cars from the Beka'a Valley and the south.
Some schools closed for the day, and groups of schoolchildren and students were in evidence on the streets.
Two hours before the official start of the protest - called to mark the moment a month earlier when the former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri was assassinated - Martyrs Square was packed with people and Lebanese flags.
Many of the flags were attached to broom handles, others rose above the crowds on the end of fishing rods, and one demonstrator even flew a kite with a flag attached.
Many placards read: "100% Lebanese"or "United colours of Lebanon".
Before long, the crowds had spilled over from Martyrs Square and began filling the nearby Riad al-Solh Square, where Hizbullah's demonstration was held last week.
As the rally began, half a mile from its centre motorists in cars decorated with flags and pictures of Hariri were still edging through crowded streets looking for a place to park. Across town, the normally bustling Hamra district was ghostly, with almost all the shops closed but still a few straggling demonstrators with flags.
For a country with a population of only 3.5 million, the scale of recent protests has been unprecedented, raising fears about how long they will remain peaceful.
