Lebanese President General Michel Aoun presided over the military parade on the occasion of Independence Day amid continuing protests for the 37th day in a row, demanding a rescue government.
Aoun presided over yesterday morning «symbolic military parade held by the Lebanese army command at the headquarters of the Ministry of National Defense in Yarze, on the occasion of the 76th Independence Day, because of the current circumstances experienced by Lebanon», according to a statement issued by the Presidency of the Republic.
Protesters celebrated Independence Day in a number of areas in north and south Lebanon and in the capital Beirut, carrying Lebanese flags and army flags, shouting slogans demanding the formation of a national salvation government to hold the corrupt accountable, recover the looted funds, and address the economic and social situation, and an independent judiciary.
Senior Lebanese politicians appeared for the first time yesterday, since the outbreak of massive anti-government protests last month, as they attended the military parade marking the 76th anniversary of the country's independence.
It was not possible to organize a parade this year in its traditional place in downtown Beirut, because of a protest sit-in occupying the region.
Outgoing Prime Minister Saad Hariri kept a tough expression during the military parade, while President Michel Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri exchanged smiles. Commanders exchanged a few words during the 30-minute parade of soldiers. There was no display of tanks or helicopters, and no foreign figures were present.
Berri and Aoun left immediately after the military parade ended, while Hariri was wandering for longer, exchanging words with the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces.
"We are at the heart of the crisis and the contacts are there, we are keen on the government to be formed quickly, and we have provided all the necessary facilities," Elias Bou Saab, the Lebanese defense minister in the caretaker government, was quoted by LBC News as saying. He added «There are right demands, and we must work to achieve them, and there are those who exploit the dynamic policy of negotiations to form a government and to improve some positions».
"What delays the commissioning and authoring is to continue to deny the changes that have taken place on the national scene," Mustaqbal Web said, quoting a leading source in the Future Movement in response to Defense Minister Elias Bou Saab's remarks on Hariri.
A day earlier, Aoun said unanimity in forming a government remained elusive because of the "contradictions that dominate Lebanese politics." He also told the demonstrators that "the only dialogue is the right way to resolve crises."
In a new statement, the Lebanese demonstrators called for a peaceful march, coinciding with Independence Day, to reject the current situation, as stated by President Michel Aoun's speech.
The demonstrators called for the renewal of the demands of the revolution during the movements and demonstrations in various regions of Lebanon, including the immediate call for parliamentary consultations, to appoint a prime minister from outside the current system of government, in addition to the formation of a small and independent interim government, whose task is to save Lebanon from the economic crisis, and the independence of the judiciary. As well as calling for early parliamentary elections.
Burning «stereoscopic revolution» downtown Beirut
Unidentified people set fire to a large cardboard fist in the center of the protest camp in Beirut, which has become a symbol of the uprising. Witnesses said that masked people set off the "revolutionary model" in Martyrs' Square in central Beirut and fled.
Video footage and pictures circulating on social media showed the burning fire in the fist, which had the word "revolution", at dawn yesterday, and demonstrators quickly tried to put out the fire. One protester raised his fist in the air along with the charred doll.