Hizbullah on USJ Incident: Those Who Were Politically Defeated are Creating Incitement
Hizbullah MP Hassan Fadlallah criticized on Tuesday the politicization of the incident at Universite Saint Joseph at the Huvelin neighborhood in Beirut on Monday.
He said during a press conference: “Those who have been defeated on the political scene are taking out their frustrations and creating incitement through the USJ incident.”
“They will continue to take out their frustrations against Hizbullah and create incitement whenever they suffer regional setbacks,” he said.
“Illusory problems were created at USJ on Monday,” he remarked.
The MP explained that the tensions arose when students where being harassed and prevented from expressing themselves, so they were forced to leave the campus and stage a sit-in outside its doors.
Media reports had said that Hizbullah supporters had surrounded the campus in protest against last week's student elections results.
Phalange MP Sami Gemayel on Monday said that the tensions were sparked after Hizbullah supporters wrote graffiti on the campus praising Habib al-Shartouni, who assassinated former President Bashir Gemayel in 1982.
“The USJ administration denied claims that the university campus was surrounded,” continued Fadlallah.
“Tensions are normal between students and we didn't see the need for political intervention,” he noted
“The tensions were fueled however after political meddling that incited the students against each other,” he added.
“The students are Lebanese. They are not thugs or blind followers as they have been described by some officials,” he said in an indirect reference to MP Sami Gemayel and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea's respective press conferences on Monday to address the USJ incident.
“Such remarks reveal the political culture of such officials. Is this the culture of mutual coexistence, diversity, and dialogue?” wondered Fadlallah.
“Such remarks are a sign of political fascism, which we reject,” he stressed.
“USJ is not affiliated with any party and no one has the right to claim otherwise,” he declared.
The MP accused officials of political meddling and of seeking to create political and sectarian incitement.
“What does incitement serve?” he asked.
He therefore urged students to reject incitement and avoid dragging political disputes to the classroom.
The incident at USJ on Monday resulted in a standoff between Hizbullah and March 14 camp supporters.
The army and security forces intervened to avoid any escalation and unrest.
Classes at USJ Huvelin on Tuesday have been suspended.
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