Special to The Daily Star
Monday, March 07, 2011
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BEIRUT: Thousands of people marched from Dora to Beirut Sunday in the second round of a campaign to “topple the sectarian regime” and its leading symbols.
Waving Lebanese flags, the demonstrators hoped to capitalize on public support for an end to corruption, selecting the Electricite du Liban building – a symbol of government mismanagement – as their end-point.
Although much of the rhetoric was fiercely anti-sectarian, a few religious figures took part, advocating peaceful acts to topple the sectarian regime.
“This revolution should maintain its strength, because it is against injustice,” said Sheikh Ali Sayyad. “This revolution should demand socio-economic justice, and reject all kinds of favoritism. I represent myself, not Dar al-Fatwa, and I believe politics and corruption has infiltrated in Dar al-Fatwa.”
Bishop Gregoire Haddad, a veteran of secular campaigning, also attended.
“We’ve been demanding the toppling of the sectarian regime for 40 years,” said the 87-year-old, touring the protest by car. “But the movement shouldn’t be violent, so that we don’t witness what has happened in the Arab world … I believe it’s [too] early to call on the top three leaders to resign.”
For the young activists who organized the march, and preferred to remain anonymous, the reasons for the march were clear.
“We want a system that isn’t based on wars every 15 years, blood, and corruption,” one activist said. “We want to know where the $60 billion [of public debt] went … What will our children inherit?”
Last week saw round one of the campaign, when hundreds of people turned out for a rally in Beirut, despite a driving rainstorm.
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