Since October 17, Lebanon is the scene of an unprecedented wave of protest against the political class, considered corrupt and accused of ruining the country.
The demonstrations, which mobilized hundreds of thousands of Lebanese throughout the country, have already led to the resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri on 29 October. Since then, the country has been in a political stalemate pending the formation of a new government.
On their side, the demonstrators intend to continue their actions to maintain the pressure on their leaders, in order to obtain a radical change of the political system in place.
Present on site since October 20, Stephanie Baz-Hatem, French-Lebanese author of the book "Lebanon, standing still" (Ed Nevicata), entrusts to France 24 his testimony and his impressions on this movement which is in the process of rebating cards in the land of Cedar.
In your book, it is often question of the thirst for life and the resilience of the Lebanese. Has your impression been confirmed by observing the current events closely?
Stéphanie Baz-Hatem : The Lebanese people, who are essentially resilient, live in a kind of permanent hope, especially since the end of the civil war. In the current events, always peaceful and often festive, the Lebanese people's thirst for life is expressed more than ever, and it is at the same time a cry of suffering and hope. From a general point of view, all that has been so far is today, because the rude is total in the face of corruption and aberrant inequalities. The Lebanese can not take it anymore, they mobilized themselves in all the regions of the country, and even in territories where it was not customary to see demonstrations. Even partisans of political parties spontaneously took to the streets to join the protesters, whereas usually they obey the slogans of their respective leaders.
This movement seems to have changed the game in a society often described so far as divided. How does this manifest itself?
It is clear through this spontaneous revolution a change in mentalities, cleavages have been overcome. Among the protesters we no longer speak of Christians, Muslims or Druze. There is a unity among the demonstrators that we did not necessarily see before in the country, that we could not even imagine. It is quite impressive to see them fall behind the only Lebanese flag, regardless of their confession, age or social status. The country was sorely lacking a citizen spirit, despite the efforts of a minority of committed individuals or associations, and we are witnessing its emergence on a wider plane through these events. There is also a strong mobilization of women, whose rights are harmed in Lebanon - and different in different communities - who are extremely present in the streets since the beginning of the movement.
Are the protesters still confident about their chances of achieving their goals? Did the blockages interfere with the movement?
The revolution was widely acclaimed at the beginning of the mobilization, the enthusiasm was total and the demonstrators were very confident about the success of their movement. But we must admit that, recently, questions and the fear of seeing the movement stagnate after three weeks of mobilization have appeared among some of the protesters and in society. Especially since the critics of the revolution, accusing him of having paralyzed the country in a difficult economic context and being devoid of leaders, have multiplied in recent days. Despite the peaceful aspect of this revolution, we can not help being afraid of the tensions that can resurface, one way or another, it is a feeling that can not fade completely in Lebanon. The mobilization may not have the same shape as at the beginning, especially since the resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri and the current political stalemate, but the challenge continues. Protesters say they play their last card because they feel it's their last chance, whether it's now or never without going back. And remain committed to real change this time around.