In Lebanon, the sacred union of protesters

Dalia Khamissy for M The World Magazine

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Posted today at 15h07

"We will only be you and me. It could be a promise of love, it's just a pessimistic announcement. When the Herz couple leaves his home in Aley, southeast of Beirut, Thursday, October 17, late in the day to protest in the Lebanese capital, Malak does not hide his skepticism. The young woman is certainly angry against new taxes. But she does not believe in mobilization. Too familiar gatherings that go around in circles, where we always find the same engaged. In every house, all over the country, the same complaints are being heard, in the face of power cuts, ever-increasing life, incessant political quarrels, but these grievances are most often shared between friends or family, without that anger does not spring up in the street.

That day, however, Mohammad, him, " at a time ". He feels that the cup is full. Two days earlier, he rolled up his sleeves to help extinguish huge fires. The flames ravaged forests and burned houses. A shock wave. The management of the disaster by the authorities has been calamitous. And then, there is also the growing concern of a financial collapse. Taxes in preparation on calls WhatsApp, gasoline or cigarettes, it's too much, thinks Mohammad, impenitent aspirant to change.

Read also "The announcement of the tax on WhatsApp is the spark": anger against new levies in Beirut

The thirty was right. Since October 17, the Lebanese were found by the thousands on ordinary days and a hundred times more numerous during the most brilliant days. They communicate. They are exulting. They heal their wounds. They claim a dignified life. They accuse and demand accounts. More than three weeks after the start of the protest, Mohammad and Malak continue to camp at the foot of the government headquarters in central Beirut. At the beginning of its fourth week in a row, the movement, still without leadership, had not run out of steam, while no new government was formed after the resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri at the end of October.

"I said to the soldier," Pull if you want, I'm not afraid. "Then I hit him (in the genitals). I was ready to sacrifice myself. Malak Alaywe Herz, protester

The couple, who married during the summer, is one of the irreducible, those determined to preserve the beating heart of the uprising, Riad Al-Solh. These are nights of joy, adrenaline and uncertainty. Sleep is rare. Malak Alaywe Herz has drawn features. Small silhouette, she presents herself as " housewife ", a smirk. It is she who, with a kick, has shown that the spirit of omnipotence displayed by the political class and its entourage is not untouchable.

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