Tent camp grows in Beirut, challenges gov’t

Dec. 7—Following the massive demonstration in Beirut on Dec. 1, thousands of people stayed to camp downtown as a way to continue the protest against the current government and demand its change. Now the camp is growing, with more tents appearing every day, and there’s a high level of popular energy. Each night there are festivals, cultural events and rallies that draw thousands of people, most of them young.

Groups of high school and college students are doing projects and setting up exhibitions. Syed Hassan Nasrullah is speaking on a big TV screen downtown as this report is being written, and he is expected to make an important statement regarding the struggle for a more representative government and one that is not lined up with U.S. imperialism.

There is quite an array of parties here taking part in the opposition movement. Along with the “big 4”—Hezbollah, Amal, Free Patriotic Movement (led by General Michel Aoun) and Marada (led by Suleiman Franjieh)— there are the Communist Party of Lebanon, the Movement for Unity and the Democratic Party (the latter two based in the Druze community), the Popular Nasserist Organization, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (which is also a communist organization) and the Syrian Social Nationalist Party.

Even this long list names only a few of the groups belonging to the coalition that wants to change the government. The Union of Doctors and the Union of Dentists are also in the struggle; these professional groups are calling for free public health care.

In the camp and on the streets at the demonstrations, people fly many flags and banners, from Lebanese flags to one very popular one with a hammer and sickle, the Lebanese cedar and a huge picture of Che Guevara. There are also posters around town of the late Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser, of Hezbollah leader Nasrullah and of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, who just won reelection by a landslide. Chávez has been extremely popular since he took a strong stand against Israel during its attack on Lebanon last summer.

Manar TV and NUR radio, two popular broadcasting stations which give strong coverage to the popular struggle, play an amazingly important role in mobilizing the people. They make a point of giving coverage and interviews to all parties, including the left, and also doing interviews and covering speak out meetings around the camp, so literally thousands of people have spoken and seen themselves on TV. It creates a real sense of community and participation.

Manar interviewed the International Action Center delegation from the U.S. on Dec. 5 and NUR radio did the same this morning.

Not everyone supports the opposition movement to the government. There are right-wing neighborhoods and at the borders of these communities the hostility toward the people in the tent camps is palpable. These are relatively privileged communities, and many of those in them align with openly fascist organizations that are especially hostile to the poor people from the Shiite communities.

On the other hand, many middle-class people from Sunni and Christian neighborhoods, though they are not participating in the movement, are very sympathetic. But the state media is working hard to stir up fear and hatred. What counteracts this is that almost everyone seems to tune in to Al Manar at least some of the time.

There are two distinct armed forces in town. First, there is the national army, whose rank and file and some of whose officers are sympathetic to the opposition movement. Many people say the army has promised to remain neutral. Then there is the heavily militarized Internal Security Forces, which are under the control of the right-wing parties.

What happens with the army is vital to the outcome of the struggle. Many feel the government is afraid to order the army into battle because most soldiers are Shiite and in sympathy with the movement, and the army might break apart. Most young men in the tent camp have served in the army at some point in their lifetime.

Cecil is part of a delegation from the International Action Center (IAC) from the U.S. that includes Samia Halaby of Al-Awda.