Installation of the "fist of the revolution" in Martyrs' Square, Downtown Beirut, on Oct. 17, 2022. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — A few dozen people gathered on Monday in Martyrs' Square in Downtown Beirut for the third anniversary of the Oct. 17, 2019 uprising movement in Lebanon and installed the emblem of the uprising, the fist of the thawra (revolution), made of fabric, on a metal scaffolding.
According to our reporter, revolutionary songs punctuated this relatively small gathering, while light police and military presence were at the scene. Slogans against the agreement on the maritime border with Israel were brandished on some banners. On Thursday, Lebanese President Michel Aoun announced the approval by Lebanon of the final version of the agreement on the delimitation of its maritime border with Israel, the result of a long negotiation process under the auspices of the United States.
One of the protesters present at Martyrs' Square, Tarek Charaf, 48, said "the Oct. 17 movement has not come to an end. It is a long-term struggle," he added. "The Lebanese people must change their mindset. We must understand what is a good governance policy, transparency ... and remember that politicians are civil servants serving the people."
At 5:30 p.m., the demonstrators observed a minute of silence in memory of the "martyrs of Oct. 17," and plan to move towards the Parliament, located a little further on Nejmeh Square, around 6 p.m.
The collectives also announced a second protest for Thursday, in parallel with Parliament's third session to attempt to elect a president, despite more than half of the ballots cast as protest votes during the first parliamentary meeting and a lack of quorum during the second meeting.
On Oct. 17, 2019, an unprecedented revolt movement emerged in Lebanon, denouncing the ruling political class. The protests throughout Lebanon lasted several months, with clashes breaking out by security forces, who responded to the mostly peaceful protests with tear gas, rubber bullets, water cannons, physical force, and at times, live bullets. During the commemoration of the revolution in 2021, protests were also rather light in Beirut.
Meanwhile, the country continues to undergo one of the world's worst economic collapses since the 1850s, with 80 percent of the population living in poverty.
Additional reporting by Lyana Alameddine