"Lead the way!" " yells a sweaty Lebanese boy. Behind him, the riot police advance and, in front of him, a crowd of demonstrators hesitates between staying and fleeing. He has a wounded man with a bloody ear. " Red Cross ! ", calls a young woman for help. In the center of Beirut, Weygand Street has just fallen into confusion and violence, in the early evening, Sunday December 15, after several peaceful hours of demonstration against the power.
Hundreds of supporters of the popular movement in Lebanon found themselves on this artery located below the Parliament, the day after a first night of violence which had left a hundred injured. Riot police charged the demonstrators with tear gas and rubber bullets on Saturday, December 14, after protesters tried to get closer to Parliament. “The violence of the security forces does not intimidate us. We are angry with the authorities, we have the right to express ourselves, our movement is non-violent ”, defends Ahlam, theater trainer, a ski mask on the forehead, " in case ". Others came with swimming goggles or hard hats.
Water cannons and tear gas
In the early hours of Sunday, the crowd shouts 'Revolution' and said he refused to see resigning Prime Minister Saad Hariri return to power as parliamentary consultations to appoint a new head of government were due to open on Monday December 16. They were finally postponed until Thursday. The demonstrators lashed out at the President of the Parliament, Nabih Berri, accused of bringing out his supporters to quell the movement. A man comes disguised as Santa Claus, bell in hand. Then the good-natured atmosphere ends.
Targeted by empty plastic bottles and firecrackers, the riot police charge, using water cannons and tear gas. Many protesters fled. Groups of young people, masked faces and sometimes provided with sticks, are ready to do battle. Who are they ? Infiltrators, some say. Young people exasperated by police violence, defend others. Ambulance sirens sound.
The Place des Martyrs turns into a vast riot scene. Rocks are fired, smoke from tear gas rises, and soon great flames devour tents of revolt. Men of Nabih Berri, who have repeatedly attacked the protesters since the movement began on October 17, are chased by demonstrators. The army ended up imposing a security cordon around the city center.
"They didn't understand anything"
Dozens of people were injured. Videos show police clubbing demonstrators near the parliament. “On Saturday, there were even men in plain clothes with hooded faces who attacked us, at the same time as the police, who chased us, far from the center! ", says teacher Nisrine Chahine. Near the Place des Martyrs, the young woman looks around as she speaks, fearing the presence of "Rogue".
"If the repression by the security forces has been so strong, it is because the people in power wanted to clean the street before the parliamentary consultations. They agreed among themselves ", accuses Hadi Mounla, a 37-year-old engineer and anti-corruption activist. Like him, Youssef Mouakar, a 27-year-old tattoo artist, is in favor of holding parliamentary consultations, a month and a half after Mr. Hariri's resignation. “MPs must give us at least one name of prime minister who will not be turned down on the street. But I think it’s Saad Hariri’s that will emerge again. So we will close the roads over and over again ”, he predicts. The battle for power between political forces exasperates. "They did not understand anything, even after sixty days of revolt", protested Ahlam.
