Bassil Accuses Geagea and LF of 'Bloodshed, Murder' and 'Sniping People from Rooftops'

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Saturday launched a vehement attack on Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea in connection with the deadly Tayyouneh clashes, while criticizing Hizbullah and Amal over the “provocations” of their supporters in Ain el-Remmaneh.

“Whenever he tries to clean himself he later gets dirty with shedding blood, because this is his nature, and the Tayyouneh crime is the biggest proof,” Bassil added, referring to Geagea.

“A strong party is not one that carries arms and snipes people from the rooftops of buildings. A strong party is not the one that claims to be protecting its neighborhood by opening fire from among its people. A strong party spares its neighborhood strife, not through submission, but through standing strongly and wisely,” the FPM chief added, in a speech marking the October 13, 1990 anniversary.

“The rights of Christians cannot be recovered through blood!” Bassil stressed.

“They haven’t learned anything from the policies of treachery, sniping and murder! They kill our people -- be them Christian or Muslim, children or elderly, secular or clergymen, premiers or citizens, civilians or soldiers,” the FPM chief charged.

He added that no one has the right to “murder protesters through sniping and backstabbing” even if they make “provocations.”

Without naming the LF, Bassil charged that the rival Christian party is still “prepared, trained and carrying on with the killing policy” and is willing to “make a massacre, strife or civil war when it is offered a green light.”

“Justice is achieved through the judiciary, not sectarian incitement. Those whose history is black cannot claim to be fond of justice while killing protesting people and trying to stir strife in the country on former frontiers in order to gain popularity,” Bassil added.

Criticizing Hizbullah and Amal, the FPM chief said “no one has the right to impose their opinion on others nor to threaten street action.”

“Everyone has the right to have an opinion about the investigator and the (Beirut port blast) probe and everyone has the right to have doubts and suspicions, but this should happen through the judicial, legal and institutional course. But no one has the right to undermine the principle of the separation of powers by trying to impose their opinion on Cabinet contrary to the norms and laws. They must know that someone will stand in their face to say No!” Bassil added.

He also criticized the Hizbullah and Amal supporters who “came to Ain al-Remmaneh to chant provocative slogans.”

“Would they have accepted for the families of the victims or members of parties to go to Dahiyeh and chant against its people? Insults, the storming of side roads and the smashing of properties are totally unacceptable. This is not peaceful protesting but the killing of people is not legitimate,” Bassil added.

“Intimidation is rejected, whether it came from those who attacked without thinking or those who claimed to be defending while practicing premeditated murder,” the FPM chief went on to say.

He added: “We are the guarantee of civil peace and we will prevent strife. We appreciate those who practiced self-restraint to prevent strife, we offer condolences over the victims and we call on security and judicial agencies to conduct a firm probe and a quick trial so that no one takes justice into their own hands.”