Mustaqbal Denies Link to Tripoli Rally as Hizb ut-Tahrir Remains Adamant on Holding Demo
Al-Mustaqbal movement denied on Thursday that it was involved in calls to hold a demonstration in support of the Syrian people in the northern port city of Tripoli.
The movement said in a statement that some media outlets and politicians were seeking to accuse al-Mustaqbal of involvement in the invitations for a demonstration against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime on Friday.
“Al-Mustaqbal movement confirms that it has nothing to do” with such invitations, said the statement.
It urged its supporters to abide by the instructions of Caretaker Premier Saad Hariri and commit to internal stability.
Al-Mustaqbal’s statement came after the north Lebanon branch of the national security council banned rallies for or against Syria's regime. But Pan-Islamic group Hizb ut-Tahrir insisted it would go ahead with its demonstration in support of Syrian protesters.
"We have decided not to approve any requests for demonstrations as they fail to meet legal conditions," the council said.
"The local branch of the security council has informed us that our gathering this Friday should take place inside an assembly hall and not in the street," Hizb ut-Tahrir's spokesman Ahmad Kasas told Agence France Presse on Wednesday.
"But our decision has been made and we will not give in."
On Thursday, Kasas said during a press conference that the demonstration had originally been planned under the slogan "In support of the Syria protests and against the Syrian regime."
"Today, we have added the slogan 'Against the regime of oppression in Lebanon,' a regime which has arrested 16 activists of our party and beaten some of them," he said.
He vowed to carry through with the rally, saying "Our protest will be held tomorrow at Nour Square" in Tripoli. "We will walk together from Mansour mosque to the square without forming any other gatherings in the streets of Tripoli, in order to abide by the instructions of the security council."
Sixteen members of the party were arrested earlier this week for posting leaflets calling for protests, security sources said. Five of them are from Tripoli, two from Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp and the remaining nine from Beirut and the southern port city of Sidon, said As Safir daily.
The newspaper added that the army and Internal Security Forces took extra measures in Tripoli and its entrances to prevent incidents and the rally from taking place.(Naharnet-AFP)
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