They had planned it, they did it. Tens of thousands of Lebanese have formed, Sunday, October 27, a human chain on 170 km, from north to south of the country. An event to display their unity and determination to drive out the ruling political class despite rising tensions.
The bet, launched the day before, implied, according to estimates, the mobilization of some 100,000 people, on the eleventh day of an unprecedented popular uprising in Lebanon.
"Exploit" unprecedented
They were tens of thousands to join on foot, by car, bike or motorbike the highway that runs along the country on the Mediterranean. Men, women and children met to hold hands by waving Lebanese flags.
On the iconic cornice of Beirut along the sea, the national anthem has been resumed at the top of its lungs. Thousands of other demonstrators rallied on their side Martyrs Square, heart of the uprising, to resume their favorite slogans: "Revolution, revolution!", "The people want the fall of the regime!"
"We love ourselves"
"The human chain is a success," said Julie Tegho Bou Nassif, 31, a history teacher and co-organizer of this unprecedented "feat" that passed without incident.
"The idea is to show that, from north to south, from Tripoli to Tire, we are and will remain united," enthuses another organizer. "We are only a people and we love each other."
The rallies reached a peak last Sunday, with hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered throughout Lebanon. The protesters hoped to take advantage of this new day of rest to achieve their goal.
Sunday morning, as every day, dozens of men, women and children took possession of the heart of Beirut to clean the meeting places. Some had slept there in tents, determined to stay as long as necessary.
Abroad, the Lebanese diaspora is also mobilizing to support the uprising. Meetings were held in London (United Kingdom) and Amsterdam (The Netherlands), but also in Paris, where several thousand Lebanese and Franco-Lebanese demonstrated. Gathered in front of the "wall of peace", a monument erected facing the Eiffel Tower, they wanted to support the "revolution" of their compatriots against "corrupt" leaders.
With AFP