Lebanese celebrate first anniversary of unprecedented popular uprising
Thousands of Lebanese marched this Saturday, October 17 in Beirut to mark the 1st anniversary of the "revolution".
REUTERS / Aziz Taher
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
This Saturday, the Lebanese celebrated a year of demonstrations against the power in place and the corruption of the leaders.
They were again thousands to take to the streets to protest peacefully.
An anniversary with great pomp, as the country continues to sink into a deep economic and political crisis.
Publicity
Read more
With our correspondent in Beirut,
Noé Pignède
A year after the start of the popular protest, the hope of bringing down the power in place has not left the demonstrators.
While the movement seemed to be running out of steam in recent months, the strong mobilization of this Saturday gives a smile to this activist from the start.
“
With the coronavirus, it's more and more difficult to take to the streets so suddenly it's very good today, there are really a lot of people, a lot more than we thought.
It means that people have not forgotten, that they are still there, that they especially have the same requests.
They're going to stay on the streets until that changes.
Of course I have hope, but it will take a long time, I think.
"
To the sound of revolutionary songs, the procession heads towards the port.
For everyone here, the
double explosion
that hit Beirut on August 4 has become the symbol of the incompetence of the government in power.
Anthony Zaro lost three of his friends in the blast.
Today, he is demonstrating to honor their memory.
“
They dreamed of a new Lebanon, a better country, for our families and our future children and they died here.
They were working at the port and no one told them to leave.
This explosion happened because of corruption.
My government killed my friends.
I will never leave the street, because if we leave the street, they will be dead for nothing.
Our dream will come true.
They cannot kill our beliefs.
Our dream of a new Lebanon is still alive.
"
But Anthony knows it, the fight will be long: a year after the start of the movement, President Michel Aoun is still in place, former Prime Minister Saïd Hariri, he is now expected to return to business.
►
To read also: Analysis / Lebanon: the protest is running out of steam, the political class is hanging on
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
Lebanon
On the same subject
Orient weekly
In Lebanon, popular protest remains strong
Analysis
Lebanon: the protest is running out of steam, the political class is hanging on
Lebanese parties blame themselves for Mustapha Adib's failure