Sawt Beirut International’s news bulletin for today, March 3, 2021:
Was yesterday’s episode of the streets and roads a sign of the return of the October 17 revolution or was it just a way to convey political messages across the streets? Yesterday’s events are a mixture of both. The people are desperate, frustrated, and suffering. They don’t have anything else to lose. The dollar rate has reached ten thousand Lebanese Pounds, while responsible couldn’t care less about the catastrophe. Their only concern are their shares, bags and positions. People no longer trust them, and are fully aware that nobody cares about their situation. It was proven that across streets, there were real angry revolutionaries, but there were also certain forces that tried to step in in order to achieve political advantages, who are, namely, Hezbollah and their allies, because one should note that in Shiite areas, there was a heavy presence of the Hezbollah crowd who kicked off the protests. Let us recall the embarrassing situation of Hezbollah at a time when Patriarch Al Rahi called for neutrality and an international conference to fully implement “Al Taif Agreement”, an agreement that is not in the in the interest of Hezbollah, at a moment when Patriarch Al Rahi became fully aware that General Michel Aoun and his political movement are weakening like never before.
Therefore, the party was forced to negotiate with the Maronite Patriarchate by reviving the communication committee with Bkerke, and to give order to its supporters to create across streets a new political dynamic that would eliminate the proposal of Patriarch Al-Rahi launched last Saturday in Bkerke, by reaching the point of spreading his motorbike supporters in Hamra Streets, carrying out acts of sabotage.
We are now facing two different streets, two different visions. What should we expect from this moment? Where will the new scene lead us? Are we facing two different, contradictory streets, just as we are facing two different policies, strategies and directions?
