Yes to life; No to arms: Lebanese rally against Hezbollah weapons

Pro-West opposition masses for sixth anniversary a popular uprising against Syrian troops in Lebanon.

Middle East Online

By Mohamad Ali Harissi - BEIRUT

No to arms; No to sectarianism Opposition supporters gathered in Beirut Sunday for a mass rally marking the sixth anniversary of a popular uprising against Syrian troops in Lebanon, demanding the disarming of Hezbollah. Cheering and singing, tens of thousands of Lebanese poured into to Martyrs' Square in central Beirut amid tight security early Sunday, waving the national flag and the banners of pro-Western political parties. "We are here to say yes to life and no to their arms," said Adnan Antar, 65, who traveled from the northern port city of Tripoli to attend the rally with his family. "There can be no rule of the state in Lebanon as long as there is the rule of arms," he added, referring to the arsenal of Shiite militant group Hezbollah. Security forces were deployed in force across the country, as convoys could be seen heading to the capital from the north and east, blaring songs and displaying pictures in support of slain former premier Rafiq Hariri. Major highways leading into Beirut were blocked with traffic as supporters of Lebanon's opposition -- led by Rafiq's son, outgoing premier Saad Hariri -- began to voice concerns of infiltrators at the rally. "The fight for them to give up their arms has been political so far... but we will not stand by as witnesses who fear their reaction which could turn violent," said Salim Eid, 46, a supporter of the Christian Lebanese Forces party. "Let's hope they don't have a violent reaction to this rally here today." The anniversary follows a drawn-out political crisis which saw the Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hezbollah topple Saad Hariri's unity government in January, capping a long-running feud over a UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon. The tribunal -- tasked with investigating a February 14, 2005 Beirut bombing that killed Rafiq Hariri and 22 others -- is reportedly readying to implicate members of Hezbollah in the killing. Sunni Muslim billionaire Najib Mikati, appointed with Hezbollah's backing, has been tapped to succeed Saad Hariri and has since January 25 sought to form a government. The Hariri-led opposition has announced it will sit out of Mikati's government, which it accuses of being "Hezbollah's cabinet". Rafiq Hariri's assassination saw the rise of a US- and Saudi-backed alliance that became known as March 14, named after a day of massive anti-Syrian protests dubbed the "Cedar Revolution." Combined with international pressure, the protests in the weeks after the killing led to the pullout of Syrian troops from the eastern Mediterranean country in April 2005, ending a 29-year deployment. Red billboards urging supporters of the Hariri camp to head downtown on Sunday lined highways across the capital, bearing slogans such as "NO to assassinations," "NO to oppression" and "NO to the rule of arms." Other billboards, which no party has yet claimed responsibility for, have surfaced in the capital, reading: "Israel too wants to topple arms," in reference to Hezbollah's arsenal which the militant group argues is necessary to defend Lebanon against Israel. Lebanon's opposition has accused Hezbollah, the only party not to have turned in its arms after the 1975-1990 civil war, of having used its arsenal to intimidate MPs into voting against Hariri's re-appointment after his unity cabinet collapsed.