Forces of Change MP Halimé El Kaakour. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT —Forces of Change MP Halimé El Kaakour on Monday called for the "dissolution of the parliamentary police" — a security body whose agents are directly assigned by the Parliament Speaker — after her colleague MP Cynthia Zarazir was violently pushed around during a protest near Parliament.
Videos circulating on social media showed Zarazir being pushed by a crowd, though it was not clear whether she was confronted by protesters or parliamentary police.
"We will strive to dissolve the parliamentary police immediately," Kaakour said in a tweet.
She also criticized the "expanded prerogatives" of the police body "linked" to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. She called for police to be "held accountable" for the crimes they committed since Oct. 17, 2019, when mass protests sparked around the country and many protestors were violently injured by police.
Kaakour claimed the parliamentary police took advantage Zarazir's presence at a demonstration of retired military personnel and activists to act upon "previously made threats" against her. Kaakour also lamented that "the crisis in the system is turning the security forces into personal militias."
The parliamentary police is an entity independent from the rest of the security forces; it operates according to a non-classical structure and hierarchy. The 240-strong police force is directly run by the office of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and is responsible for securing the perimeter of Parliament.