This is a personal account of what happened yesterday night, Saturday the 22nd of August 2015. I was there alongside thousands of Lebanese citizens demanding for our rights when we were met with police brutality, teargas canisters, water-canons and armed thugs following peaceful protestors and beating them. As with the previous post, I’m responsible for my own words.
As one of those who helped organize this protest, I can safely tell you that the government’s reaction was beyond anything we were expecting. We were expecting water-cannons like last time, and many of us came prepared for those (putting our phones in plastic bags etc.). But we were not prepared for the teargas and we were certainly not expecting to see riot police and army men playing the role of government thugs.
The sheer savagery of riot police and army men shooting teargas canisters haphazardly at any concentration of people they saw in front of us was a shock to us all. We saw old women and children between carried by men to save them from getting crushed by everyone else. We were yelling ‘we have kids! We have kids!’ while riot police increased the velocity of the water cannons until none of us could stand on our feet. The water-cannons pushed nearly 10,000 people into one another on a narrow street. Kids who came with their parents were being trampled on, old ladies screaming ‘shame! shame!’ while they tried to run away, young men and women building a solidarity wall to prevent the brutality of water cannons from hitting the weaker ones among us.
We remained in our thousands despite the brutality. We filmed everything while constantly re-assuring our loved ones at home that we’re okay. Some of us had to deal with our loved ones being there with us. Of course, we weren’t okay. Many of us were severely injured and rushed to the hospital. I was myself directly hit by a teargas canister and had to be briefly hospitalized. Those of us with relatively minor injuries had to make way for the dozens of more serious ones being rushed through to get their 30 seconds of oxygen in ambulances.
But how did it all start? The protest was set to begin at 6pm but people were already coming before 5pm. By 6pm, we had already passed the 2,000 mark. By 7pm, we had reached 10,000.
All was going well, but some of us were worried. The high number of policemen was surreal. There was obviously something wrong. Our movement largely consists of young men and women, this time joined by the elderly and kids, and the only ‘weapons’ we’ve ever had in the past were eggs, empty plastic bottles and plastic bags. We didn’t even have those yesterday night. But despite all of that, at around 4pm, we were surrounded by nearly 300 policemen, and we were barely 30 civilians.
https://twitter.com/joeyayoub/status/635078132966428672
https://twitter.com/joeyayoub/status/635083261480271872
They had shut down the adjacent road to Riad El Solh where we were planning to have the other half of protestors stand. The plan was to have both roads, the one in front Riad El Solh and the one perpendicular to it, open, as last week, to allow mobility and decrease the risk of conflicts. We weren’t expecting that road to be closed down because there was no reason for it to be closed. It is a public road and we had the legal right to be on it.
It was immediately clear that the Chief of Police, or whoever gives him orders, had no real plan for ‘dealing’ with us. There was no strategy, no real methods of communications between the police and the protest’s organizers. They were treating us as a foreign threat, as though we were ISIS or Israel. Seeing so many policemen, armed to the teeth, was frankly pathetic.
I couldn’t help myself but ask several of them ‘why exactly are you here?’ without receiving a reply. Needless to say, they didn’t have any answer. They were ‘just’ following orders, blindly playing the role of armed thugs in the name of the very people who treat them like shit. We kept on yelling throughout the protest that those policemen should’ve been standing with us. They’re the ones who barely get paid minimal wage with little to no social benefits for doing a job believed by many to be just. While some policemen did laugh at us while we were yelling for our lives, most seemed to have been extremely uncomfortable at being there, lowering their heads and refusing to make eye contact, especially when addressed by the women among us.
Things started getting violent when we had announced that we will go through with our plan to enter Nejmeh Square. Our plan had been announced days before. We were to Occupy Nejmeh Square in order to put effective pressure on the government to meet our rightful demands. It’s very simple, basic and in accordance to legitimate Non-Violent Direct Action (NVDS) methods, largely accepted worldwide as acceptable forms of freedom of expression.
In order to enter Nejmeh Square we had to go through the adjacent road which was shut down like this (on the right):
https://twitter.com/joeyayoub/status/635084703133884417
So two lines of protestors were formed to break through, non-violently, the wall of policemen. Here’s a footage of the very first moments of violence yesterday evening.
After that, things got dangerous. This is when the water-cannons started shooting at us while policemen pushed protestors into one another. As mentioned above, chaos soon ensued. Men and women were trying to protect the kids and elderly by carrying them to safety or forming a wall in front of the water-cannons. I can tell you that the water-cannons used higher velocity than the other time as we couldn’t resist them this time.
It was extremely dangerous. We genuinely feared for our lives. And for what? Demanding sustainable solutions to Lebanon’s trash crisis as opposed to its current catastrophic mismanagement? Wanting to live normal lives free of such suffocating corruption and sectarian nepotism?
I have to leave and go back to Riad El Solh now. Please follow the ‘You Stink’ page for more updates. We’re doing our best to translate everything into English for international observers. Will be writing another post soon.
Hummus For Thought 
Same in every country. We pay for everything. Sad.
Reblogged this on Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News.
Thank you for sharing…. This is absolutely horrendous, I am so angry about this, you did nothing wrong and were treated like bomb-wielding home invaders ….. It’s just beyond appalling.
We in the so called ‘feee’ West can only imagine what it must be like to live life in such s constant struggle. Well done for bringing what is happening there to the outside world
It was immediately clear that the Chief of Police, or whoever gives him orders, had no real plan for ‘dealing’ with us
Reblogged this on Jay the Legal Alien.
God bless Lebanon! This is no way to treat your citizens!
Can u plz give a detailed info on d topic? I’ll grateful to u
Sorry to hear this, God Bless you and your country
😔😔😔😔
No 😞 good luck to you and God bless your people.
I could get all philosophical and question what makes men behave the way they do but whats the point, its simply fear that makes them act in such an irrational and inhuman manner. Is there something we could do to help?
I can admit I’m pretty ignorant when it comes to what is happening in the world therefore my comments will be just that. However, I found this post moving and well put together. Thank you for sharing and I hope for your safety.
Where is the democracy ?? But when it comes how to protest…people got to follow Mahtama Ghandhi’s ways to do it!…this guy was so god dam intellegent when it comes to protest. Bcz of him i can taste freedom…
Peace nd non violence is the key to it. Its kinda a built a emotional presure on the govt. Plus international media do the rest…believe me try to do protest differently this time…it will take time but results r going to b awesome…keep moving biee
they were peaceful. Police responded to them with violence. What exactly do they need to change?
First talk with the respective athority abut it nd if they dont listen to You then its time move. Govt. May have forgotten that we pay them nd thats how they get paid. I m talking about taxes. Stop paying u r taxes but yes all people have do it i am talking about a great no of people. Stop paying u r bills wht they goona do ?
Let it called “Non – cooperation movement”
I didn’t even know what happened until now
Thank you for sharing, I will follow the updates from these forum rather than news outlets.
Crazy.
Its painful to hear government acting the same irrespective of the countries.
Sounds intense… But i don’t understand why anyone in their right mind would bring their kids and the elderly to a place where they expect to be shot at with watercannons… baffles me.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. What I dont understand is why people going to a “peacefull” protest knowing that watercannons will be present, bring their kids and elderly…
Reblogged this on merfynwrites.
It is frustrating to hear that people are still deprived of basic human rights. Does the government not know why they are there. If not for their people, they wouldn’t have a country. That’s common sense.
most of the government are like that they treat their people like trash
Well.. government is busy competing its rivals.. subjects are the last in the list
fantastic blog, thank you
Magnificent effort, Joey. You and your countrymen and women will succeed in achieving your modest goals.
😦
what exactly happened? why were you rioting?
Wow… that was. Idk my words can’t express…..
This is an act of bravery. A face-off with government officials is not a mean feat. Sometimes the barbarity and abuse of power of those in government never fails to astound. The throng and voices of a people is said to be the voice of God. The Lebanese citizens will succeed in achieving that which is rightfully theirs.
Reblogged this on HIGH UP!.
i really admire Lebanon citizens for standing up what’s right. This day we rarely see this kind of bravery like seriously where is people when we need them. I wish the best for The Lebanese citizens. Inshaallah!
Reblogged this on evawac.
Well written…you used alot of emotion so I can tell this is a subject that hits close to home
it really not fair for a regime
I completely agree with this article, but I wish there was more information about what the protest was for and what the government was protecting for you guys to be treated so badly. Congratulations for spreading the word and being brave enough to face off with your government.
Stand up for your rights!
More power to you!!!
Emouving
Here in a tiny corner of England, my thoughts are with you and your countrymen/women…hoping you win through with the minimum of pain. I’m sure you know that at the end of the day, Freedom is worth fighting for…good luck and God speed in your struggle.
Great article!
Reblogged this on DJ J.BOY ENTERTAINMENT.
Great blog 🙂
God help the Lebanese citizens. I hope all the citizens find peace, freedom and justice. May they be victorious. Inshallah. I can only hope.
Wow, that’s crazy.
Reblogged this on aryanchaurasia.
What do you think of the US Involvement in the YouStink! movement through the face of Assad Thebian and his collaboration with the Middle East Partnership Initiative? Haven’t the previous NED funded Arab Springs served as a lesson? Are you ready to brace yourself for another decade of sectarian violence for the sake of rubbish?
You are so right and thanks for the story.