Burning symbol of the Revolution in Lebanon and a brief celebration of independence
A fire broke out in a prototype that protesters participating in the popular movement had placed in the Martyrs' Square in central Beirut, while the anniversary of the country’s independence was cut short because of the current crisis.
Witnesses said an unidentified young man threw incendiary materials into the figure, which is in the form of a fist, symbolizing what the protesters called the revolution, and it soon caught fire.
The protesters had fixed the model in the center of Martyrs Square days after the protest movement began on 17 October.
Al-Jazeera correspondent reported that security forces reopened most of the roads blocked by protesters at night.
Earlier, activists blocked the Ring Road in Beirut, as well as some roads in the Bekaa and the North, in protest against President Michel Aoun’s speech to the Lebanese on the occasion of Independence Day.
They renewed their call on the president of the country to set a date for binding parliamentary consultations to appoint a new president to form a government.
Five weeks ago, the Lebanese demonstrated in the streets and squares against the political class, which holds them corrupt and their inability to address the successive political and economic crises, in a small country whose political system is based on sectarian quotas.
Symbolic display This comes as the Lebanese army held a symbolic military parade at the headquarters of the Ministry of Defense in the Yarze area of Mount Lebanon, on the occasion of the 76th anniversary of the country’s independence.
The ceremony was attended by Presidents of the Republic and Parliament Michel Aoun and Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Saad Hariri, in addition to a number of official figures.
The celebration of independence was shortened this year and moved to the headquarters of the Ministry of Defense instead of its usual place in central Beirut, given the current crisis in Lebanon.
Lebanese President Aoun said earlier, in a speech marking the anniversary of Lebanon’s independence, that political contradictions forced the careful formation of the new government.
Aoun added that the challenges facing Lebanon are great and dangerous and that this requires the formation of a government that meets the aspirations of the people and aspirations and be a great deal of productivity.
Although the PA has sought to circumvent the demands of the protesters, the demonstrators retain their hope for change, although the pace of demonstrations has declined in recent days.
Activists on social media circulated a call for citizens to light up their lights and candles in Beirut’s Martyrs Square and on their balconies, celebrating independence at 6 pm (16:00 GMT).
In the southern city of Sidon, the demonstrators organized several movements under the slogan “Independence not only from the mandate, but also from injustice, theft, corruption, and poverty.”
Source: Al Jazeera + Agencies