Ten years ago, March 2005 to be specific, 25% of Lebanese
population – massed in downtown Beirut at Martyr’s Square, demanding the
departure of Syrian forces from their territory. And this was the biggest, bravest, march the country had
ever seen, with the red and white colour theme, inspired by country’s flag colour.
The reason for revolution however was not to bring down the government in power
as much it was to kick out thousands of Syrian soldiers from Lebanese land.
The trouble started with assassination of former Lebanese
prime minister and Billionaire Rafik Al Hariri, who was brutal assassinated by
the road side bomb that targeted his convey. Lebanon was hosting about 15,000 heavily
armed Syrian soldiers as well thousands of intelligence agents, which made
Lebanon under effective Syrian occupation. Many believed general Ruston Ghazali
the Syrian spy chief in Lebanon was a real leader rather than the elected
Lebanese government. The Syrian army’s presence however was justified under
Taif agreement that ended the Lebanese civil in 1989.Even though there was opposition
to Syrian presence in Lebanon land, it was not significant and it was easy to
put it down. However this was changed in 2005 with the assassination of former
prime minister and a billionaire business man Rafiq Al Hariri. Hariri was one
of the architects of Taif peace agreement in Saudi Arabia, later on became critic
of the Syrian regime and insisted that Syria ends its military and intelligence
presence in Lebanese land. Hairis assassination stirred demonstration against
Syrian presence, and the demonstrators demanded that the occupation must be ended.
Many Lebanese believed that Hariri was assassinated by the Syrian regime and
the perpetrators must face justice.
Lebanon witnessed bloody civil war between 1975 and 1990, and
Hariri’s assassination caused sectarian tension between the Shia Muslims that
backed the Syrian presence in Lebanese land and Sunni Muslims that opposed it,
Prime Minister Hariri was a Sunni Muslim backed by Saudi Arabia. So many
Lebanese believed that Mr Hariri was assassinated by Syrian president Bashar Al
Assad, something Assad denied. However the Mr Hariri’s assassination however
shifted the Political balance dramatically, Syrian presence always been
divisive issue among the Lebanese opposition groups,
not long after Hariri’s assassination however the decision was made to protest
on the streets until the last Syrian soldier departed the Lebanese land.
Politicians across different spectrum, human rights activists, community
leaders and ordinary Lebanese came together and started protesting waving red
and white colours peacefully. Another remarkable development was that The Druze
and Sunni Muslims alongside with other Christians came together for the first
time, and joined the ‘Syria out’ movement which fuelled the demonstration and
made it bigger, in 1990S Anti-Syrian demonstrators were mainly Christians and
was dealt with by force.
The protest was also aimed to bring down the Lebanese government
at the time which was backed by the Syrian regime, and blamed by many for its
involvement in Hariri’s assassination conspiracy, however there was no proof
that Prime Minister Karim’s government was involved in assassination. Omer
Karami’s government was thought to have been influenced by the Syrian interests,
and thus the demonstrators insisted that it must be replaced with more
independent government. Demonstrators also demanded resignation of the security
officials for failing to protect Rafiq Al Hariri and even stop the attack. The
demonstrators also demanded the establishment of international commission to
investigate assassination, and free and fair parliamentary election. The
demonstrators hanged pro-Hariri blue ribbon as its symbol. Popular mottos of the movement were
Hurriyya, Siyada, and Istiqlal (Freedom, Sovereignty, and Independence and Hakika:
which proved determination and commitment of the demonstrators to Lebanon’s freedom
free from and external influence.
The atmosphere that followed Hariri’s assassination was accompanied
by external intervention, even though the protest movement was essentially home-grown
development. The assassination triggered condemnation from all over the world
again Syrian regime, American intervention had explicit anti- Syrian tendency
and was designed to undermine Syrian hegemony. In Press conference In Lebanon US
under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky branded the
revolution as ‘Sedar’ revolution that unifying citizens
of Lebanon to the cause of real democracy and freedom from any foreign intervention.
The United Nations set up a tribunal to look into Hariri’s assassination.
The protest eventually resulted in government’s
resignation and resignation of some security chiefs for their failure to stop
the assassination. However the third demand which is Syria’s withdrawal was
more complicated, and was polarising between Lebanese themselves. Hezbollah
Leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah called for counter-demonstration in support of Syria,
this action by Hezbollah was
feared that might instigate sectarian tension. Nasrallah
accused Israel and the United states for staging the revolution to undermine
Syria as he criticised the UN resolution 1559 that demanded Syria’s withdrawal
and asked Hezbollah to give up its arms. He vowed Hezbollah would not give up
his arms and would continue to fight Israel. Eventually Syria under pressure of
the peaceful revolution and international pressure withdrew its forces from Lebanon.
With the beginning of the cedar revolution many feared that
things might go wrong and turn sectarian civil war, however the revolutionaries
kept their marching peaceful, they were not provoked or intimidated by those
who were accusing and threatening them. This brave and matured challenge by demonstrators
not only sparred the country another civil war, but it also put pressure over
the Assad regime which considered itself the Guardian of all the Lebanese, no
one had dreamed ones for Syria to pull out that early and easily, only non-violet
revolution made it possible. We have seen how the Arab revolution was violent
in some countries and ended up causing civil war in some other countries, I always
think what is that the Lebanese did, which achieved them what they wanted, in a
fragile country security wise, with a toxic atmosphere. And what is that the
other Arab countries failed to learn from Lebanon that they miserably failed to
keep things together and a void what they are going through now.
Pretty interesting post, I never knew about this but will be a topic to look into for sure. Sort of reminiscent to the Mubarak protests where a HUGE chunk of the population actively opposed a ruler 'democratically elected'. in Lebanon the past ruler was assassinated, whereas in Hosni's case he was simply deposed, and put in place by a US led government which would seek to further oil investment in the region by supporting what was more-or-less a dictator with an iron fist.
ReplyDeleteLazar - what do you mean by "US led"? US supported? (Mubarak was supported by the US, too, until he wasn't).
DeleteIbrahim - but have things changed much in Lebanon as a result of the Cedar protests?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the discussion, by the way!
ReplyDeleteDid the Lebanese need an event like the assassination of Hariri to "cross the barrier of fear"?
Sorry for late reply,yes i do think Lebanese people needed Hariris assasination to break the fear and finally stood up to the fearful Syrian regime.Syria assasinated many law profile ppoliticians spoke against its presence in Lebanon land.Hariri was not only former prime minister,he was the most sucessfull business man,he invested billions of dollars across the country.He also thought to be Saudi by blood,and many think that is where the Saudi interest came from.He was also one of the architects of Taife agreement.Syrian regime made it clear that it would never tolerate any Lebanese politician who speaks against his army,and his most feraful intelliegence agency was active in assasinating any politicians or activists.Lebanese many the christians demonstrated many times mainly in 1990s against Syria but it was being crushed by the Lebanese governement.I really do think that Syria did not calculated the consequences of harming the well beloved Hariri,they regime probably thought it could get away with it simply as it did in amny occassions,but clealry misunderstood the consequences,and it payed the price heavy.SO my answer is yes the Lebanese needed Hariris assasination to break shackles of fear.
ReplyDelete