What Happens in a Protest on Power Cuts?

The "Melancholy Sunday", it is now called by the Lebanese press, was concluded with nine dead and over 20 injured, while blazing tyres near the church of Mar Mikhael, a landmark of the sectarian division between Muslims and Christian from the 1975 civil war. The Lebanese army had arrived to disperse the protestors on power cuts, but it is not yet certain where the firing came from. The amy was therefore called upon to start an investigation. Meanwhile, the Melancholy Sunday was added to the Black Tuesday and Black Thursday to fuel mutual political accusations between the government coalition including Saad Al Hariri's supporters, Lebanese Forces and Progressive Socialist Party (Walid Jumblat); and the opposition including Hezbollah and Michel Aoun supporters.

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December 14, around 5 in the evening a blazing fire was set at the Musharrafieh junction - dividing the Shiah area from the inner parts of the southern suburb of Beirut. Wheels and garbage cans were placed in the middle and set flaring, in protest over power cuts. Electricity supply to the suburb, inhabited by a majority of Hezbollah Shiites, was naturally less than the main parts of Beirut, with six-hour-rounds compared to three-hour cut offs in the rest of the city.

Jumping infront of my small Sony digital camera (for emergencies), Mohammad Hasssan, 50 years, enthusisatically explained that event was a spontaneous reaction to the long power cut that has lasted for two days. He said: "We have been in the dark for the last couple of days and as a result water supply has been diminishing".

Being a resident of the suburb myself, I was aware of the power cut. I spotted many young men from the neighborhood participating in the action. Traffic was still very normal, going round the flaring tyres at the junction. Only the route toward Tayyoune was blocked and taxis were forced to take their passengers through a side road that leads to the main street only ten metres away.

Anas Mroueh, 41, living at the Musharrfiye junction, said the "mini-protests" were rather annoying, but not violent, mostly lead by young men from the "Amal" faction residing nearby. "The young protestors would cause a turmoil for a hour and then leave. I do not see a reason why nine people would be shot dead for that on Sunday".

A press release by Lebanese Forces's leader, Samir Jaajaa, said the action was not civil because it did not include women and children!


* photo taken on December 14 by Dima Hamadeh