BEIRUT: Demonstrators will take to the streets Sunday to call for “toppling the sectarian regime” during a rally organized by young activists inspired by the wave of protests across the region.
The event will begin at Saint Mikhael Church in Shiyah at noon and end up at the Justice Ministry.
“It will be a special, peaceful march that will include unique activities. It won’t be another ordinary march,” said Nehmat Badreddine, a spokesperson for one the groups taking part.
More than half a dozen Arab countries and Iran have witnessed serious unrest in recent weeks, leading to the ouster of the leaders of Egypt and Tunisia. While observers have cited Lebanon’s supposed immunity to such unrest, as it lacks a one-party dictatorship, local activists have created Facebook groups that are calling for the “downfall of the sectarian regime.”
The aim of the campaign, organizers say, is to topple the sectarian system and liberate the Lebanese people from the dangerous policies of sectarian leaders, and years of government performance that have failed to alleviate pressing socio-economic problems.
Three main groups have discussed how to mount Sunday’s event: “Toppling the Sectarian System in Lebanon toward a Secular one,” “Lebanese Revolution to Topple the Sectarian System,” and “Lebanese People Want to Topple the Sectarian System.” These groups have approximately 28,000 members combined, although nothing prevents one from joining all three.
Badreddine said the group “Toppling the Sectarian System in Lebanon Toward a Secular One” represented a purely independent effort.
“We have people from all political parties, but we make sure they leave their beliefs behind and join in to make this effort work,” she said.
Strategies for the event were discussed late Thursday at a coordination meeting, where members of “The People Want to Topple the Sectarian System” expressed reservations about going ahead with Sunday’s march, as a poor turnout could “weaken” the cause.
“For years people have tried to start with similar campaigns,” Badreddine said. “But they didn’t succeed because they were politically biased.”
“Today, people are excited because of events under way in the Arab world, and they want to change, so why not start now?”
The structure of Badreddine’s group is coherent, and dynamic.
“We do not have a leader, or a president,” she said. “We have committees that are responsible for the press releases, electronic media, and organizing the demonstrations. We are committees, and we do not want to fall in the trap of a ‘one-man show.”
According to Badreddine, activists from NGOs and leftist political parties will participate in Sunday’s march.
“They came out to support this move, but we have asked them that no flags of any party will be held, not even the Lebanese flag,” she said.
The members of the Facebook groups are enthusiastic, but some continue to doubt the possibility of achieving change in a country where sectarian and partisan affiliations often defeat mass action. Some members are questioning the effectiveness of the march and its impact on the system, while others remain determined, and are lobbying members to take part.
“Something has started, and it will not stop,” as one member put it in a recent post.
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