Civil society activists
on Wednesday took the center stage during the rally organized by the March 14
forces to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the March 14, 2005 “Cedar
Revolution.”
“Has our will really
weakened? No, a thousand times no, the Cedar Revolution has not waned,” said
prominent journalist May Chidiac in her speech at the rally.
“We are honored that the
March 14 revolution was the first spark in the revolts against tyranny,” she
added.
Turning to Syria,
Chidiac stressed that “no matter how grave Syrian President Bashar Assad’s
murders, the voice of justice will remain higher than all else and oppression
will end.”
Addressing embattled Assad,
she said: “If you have an ounce of humanity, Bashar, you would halt the
massacre of children and rape of women and stop hiding behind clergymen,
whether they are Muslim or Christian.”
Slamming Hizbullah and
its controversial arsenal of weapons, Chidiac said “the claim that the weapons
will defend the weapons no longer intimidates us,” stressing that “a repeat of
the events of May 7, 2008 will not frighten us and neither will the 40,000
rockets” in Hizbullah’s possession.
The speeches of the
activists this year replaced the speeches of March 14’s political leaders, who
were featured in a video broadcast during the rally.
The leaders only gave
brief statements in answer to the question “What is the Lebanon you dream of?”
Activist Khodr Faisal
Mekkawi reassured the Lebanese that “if we are honest, justice cannot lead to
strife.”
“We are here to show
solidarity with the Syrian people and in the name of the March 14 freedom
fighters I salute the March 14 freedom fighters,” activist Salim Muzannar said,
referring to March 15, 2011 – the day that marked the beginning of the Syrian
uprising.
Meanwhile, activist Dima
Sami al-Khatib stressed that “it is necessary to complete the rise of the state
that protects everyone’s history and dignity.”
“We demand March 14 to establish
a state that can create opportunities for the youth and end sectarianism,” she
added.
Identifying himself as
an activist expelled from southern Lebanon under the threat of arms, Hadi
al-Amin said “the March 14 supporters believe that they should complete their
mission to the very end.”
“They don’t believe in
revenge, but rather in justice against all who grew accustomed to harming the
innocent,” he stressed.
“The March 14 revolution
belongs to all Lebanese citizens who believe in the army, law, constitution,
freedom, and justice,” he noted.
Slamming the Syrian
regime, Amin added: “If the martyrs of Qana and Gaza could speak, they would
speak alongside the martyrs of Syria. A murderer is still a murderer whether he
is a friend or brother.”
Activist Molouk Mihriz,
who said she hails from Tripoli, noted that “we grew accustomed to the slogan
of ‘one people in two countries’, but the actual slogan was ‘one monster in two
countries’,” in reference to Lebanon and neighboring Syria.
“The revolution will not
rest until the monster is overthrown,” she added.
Journalist and activist
Michel Hajji Georgiou called for an “immediate international intervention” to
end the bloodshed in Syria.
“Weapons do not make a
man, but peace does, so let us come together, achieve peace in Lebanon now, and
lay down the arms,” Hajji Georgiou said.
And he called on the
March 14 camp to revive the call of slain journalist Samir Qassir and work on
creating an “uprising inside the uprising.”
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