(Credit: Carla Henoud)
It was from the corniche of Ain al-Mreisseh, on the capital's seafront, that the secular and leftist collective "Beirut resists" on Sunday morning launched its "participatory" campaign ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for May 15 in a Lebanon in full socio-economic and political collapse since 2019.
"Beirut Resists," under a slogan that clearly criticizes the "Resistance" of Hezbollah, intends to put forward a unified list of candidates from civil society.
For "Beirut Resists," which includes activists from the secular network Mada, the main message is that "resistance is not the prerogative of a militia," namely Hezbollah, explains lawyer Ayman Raad, who is active in the circles of the popular revolt of October 2019 and who read a statement on behalf of the collective.
"We want to resist against all militias, all illegal weapons, as well as the current banking system." But "Beirut Resists" also opposes the Lebanese Forces of Christian leader Samir Geagea, one of the most virulent critics of the Shiite party. The collective believes that the two political parties "feed each other."
"We are fighting a criminal patriarchal confessional system that prides itself on economic liberalism while sanctifying monopolies," reads the preamble of the founding document of the group, which plans to hold primary elections to nominate its candidates for the seats to be filled in the capital's two constituencies.
"We want to gather all those who are convinced of our discourse, so that we can campaign, first through primaries, and then as part of a single list in the constituencies of Beirut I and II," explains Raad, who has defended many anti-power activists detained during the demonstrations against the system in place.
'Act of daily resistance'
Through the launch of its campaign, "Beirut Resists" also hopes to raise funds, while regulations in Lebanon regarding the financing of election campaigns remain insufficient, with traditional political parties being endowed with significant means.
"It's a good thing to go out into the public space and address people. We need to unify around the objectives that bring us together and put aside our differences, because we are facing a killing machine. By uniting, we will be stronger," said Sarah Lily Yassine, an architect and activist who attended the press conference.
"Life in the Lebanese capital is an act of resistance on a daily basis," said another activist member of the collective.
The upcoming legislative elections are perceived by many Lebanese as an opportunity for change within the ruling class, accused of being responsible for the unprecedented socio-economic collapse in the country. But many voices are expressing fears about a postponement of the vote, while political parties are losing popularity after more than two years of a crisis that has pushed three-quarters of the population into poverty.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.
