FPM Supporters in New Motorized Protest from Baouchrieh to Tabaris
Supporters of MP Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement staged a new motorized protest Wednesday evening that headed from the Baouchrieh area to Ashrafieh, a week after organizing a similar demo.
“Seventy cars carrying FPM supporters have headed in a convoy from the Mirna Chalouhi area to Ashrafieh,” state-run National News Agency reported.
It said the protesters distributed leaflets explaining their demands and grievances.
“I'm Christian, I won't accept to be marginalized, I won't accept a puppet president who has no say in the equation, I won't accept an electoral law that quashes my representation, and I won't accept submissive leaders... Together we can regain our rights,” the leaflet says.
Speaking to LBCI television, the FPM's universities official said the movement's protests are “spontaneous and not confined to a certain time or place.”
Wednesday's move comes a week after FPM leader MP Michel Aoun told reporters that protests would be suspended in the week before Eid al-Fitr, which will likely be marked on Friday.
Aoun's remarks followed a stormy cabinet session and violent street protests that left several FPM demonstrators and army troops wounded.
The cabinet session witnessed a heated debate on the government's mechanism of taking decisions in light of the presidential vacuum. The parties agreed to continue the thorny debate in a session that will be held after Eid al-Fitr, with Prime Minister Tammam Salam promising that it would be the first item on the agenda.
“Today was a historic day for us and we're still at the beginning of our movements. We will regain everything that they usurped from us,” said Aoun after the session.
Days before the explosive cabinet meeting, Aoun had called on his supporters to prepare for rallies to regain what he described as the “Christians' rights.”
His supporters began preparing to stage anti-government rallies after the cabinet failed to discuss the appointment of high-ranking security and military officials.
The FPM chief has been lobbying for the appointment of Commando Regiment commander Chamel Roukoz, his son-in-law, as army chief.
Y.R.
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