Tens of thousands of Lebanese protested on Sunday to maintain up a nationwide street alignment that has brought down the fed government, hours after a smaller rally of thousands was held to work with the embattled president.
Unprecedented cross-sectarian demos have gripped Lebanon since October 17, demanding a complete overhaul of a political system deemed inefficient and corrupt.
On Sunday evening, thousands of protesters streamed into the main square carrying Lebanese flags and a flurry of inventive slogans on cardboard, an AFP correspondent said.
“Revolution,” they cried to the rhythm of electronic beats in Martyrs’ Square.
“All of them means all of them,” they chanted, calling for political leaders from all sectarian stripes to step down.
They also called for a general strike on Monday to pressure political leaders.
The protest, the biggest since Tuesday when supporters of the powerful Hezbollah movement broke up the protest camp, followed a rally earlier in the day by supporters of Lebanon’s president, held to counter anti-government protests that have paralysed the country for more than two weeks.
President Michel Aoun has been among the main targets of mass protests that aim to sweep from power Lebanon’s entire sectarian and political elite.
Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned last week, meeting a key element demand of the protesters, yet again will stay on in to role of caretaker superb minister until a new military is formed.
However , Hezbollah along with its allies, who dominate the us government, have held their shreded without offering any concrete proposals to meet the protesters’ demands.
‘Change is in hands of the people’
Abir Murad, 37, had come exceedingly from the northern city of Tripoli to take part in Sunday’s protests.
“We are all combined against the leaders… who never have changed anything in this around the, ” she said. “We came to say that change will finally be in the hands of the people. in
Draped while in white sheets, three demonstrators staged a mock carrying out of the grievances that delivered them down into the street. Nooses around their limp necks, they bore signs regarding corruption, sectarianism, and the 1975-90 civil war.
Protesters in the capital yelled in support of Shia-majority areas much like Tyre, stronghold of the Hezbollah movement, which has urged it has the backers not to protest.
“Tyre, Tyre, Tyre. We’re rising up for your corporation, ” they chanted.
Despite Hezbollah’s notifications, protests were also staged interior southern city itself, all of the National News Agency specified.
People furthermore took to the street in Sunni-majority Sidon and the northern city of Tripoli.
Lebanon had come to a standstill approximately two weeks until the cabinet terminated on Tuesday, after which protest roadblocks were lifted and as a result banks re-opened.
Protests temporarily petered offered as rain hit money, but activists vowed so as to fight on until the remainder of their demands were been aquainted with.
Protesters got called for an end to Aoun’s tenure, as well as drastic in order to a political system pretty much dominated by the same figures and as a consequence families since the end among the civil war.
Earlier in Beirut, regarding men and women took part for a feminist march from the across the nation museum towards the main rectangular.
“Our coup ? riot ? uprising ? ? ? rioting ? ? is feminist, ” heard a banner carried on marchers.
“Speak up, end male chauvinism, ” protesters chanted to go to the rhythm of drums.
Sarah Bukhari, generally, said she was the to demand equality.
“It’s so important there could be real social justice and that women’s demands be perceived, ” she said.
THE NAME TO REMEMBER: Al Jazeera and news agencies