Relative Calm in Beirut Streets Concurrent with Army Deployment

After two days of protest demonstrations in the central streets of Beirut, Lebanon's capital, on Monday, September 2, the city experienced a relatively calm day. A report from Radio Farda's correspondent in Beirut indicates that despite the continued presence of protesters in the streets, Lebanon on Monday witnessed government movements, decision-making, and statements from political leaders. However, these decisions did not receive support from the campaign "Your Stench Has Emerged," which organized the protests of the past days. This campaign rejected the government decisions, insisted on its demands, and announced that another protest would be held on Saturday. The army returned to the streets of Beirut, seemingly due to the military's position among the people and political factions. After security forces were accused of "excessive violence" against protesters, the army's presence could serve as a guarantee for calm, albeit a "relative" one. The army's presence in the central streets of Beirut, leading to the Prime Minister's and Parliament buildings, began at midnight on Sunday after clashes in the area resulted in injuries to 99 security personnel and 61 civilians, along with damage to some shops. The main street leading to the Prime Minister's office also saw changes on Monday. While in previous days, security forces had only installed barbed wire at the entrance to this street, on Monday, large concrete walls were placed at the beginning of the street to prevent any potential advance by protesters. Nevertheless, Lebanese protesters, fewer in number than in previous days, again took to the streets on Monday in response to a call from a new campaign named "We Want Punishment." This movement began with a gathering in front of the Justice Palace, after which the protesters moved towards Riad al-Solh Square, which leads to the Prime Minister's office, and staged a sit-in there. The protesters chanted "Revolution, Revolution" and "The people want to overthrow the regime." They demand punishment for the security forces responsible for "excessive use of force" against protesters and for "known infiltrators" who have incited violence among demonstrators. The sit-in participants lit candles, expressing their desire to keep the "Lebanese Revolution" alive and stated that they would repeat this action in the coming days. The Lebanese Interior Minister, Nihad al-Mashnouq, who was outside Lebanon on the first day of the protests, returned to Beirut on Sunday to visit the central streets with security leaders. After this visit, al-Mashnouq met with Prime Minister Tammam Salam to discuss recent developments. Following these discussions, al-Mashnouq held a press conference, confirming the number of military and civilian injuries, stating, "You all saw on television over the past two days that there were two types of demonstrators, or perhaps three. There is an organized campaign for peaceful protests, which has the right to demonstrate, even if its slogans are harsh. This right is recognized by law." He added, "Another group was political, and its affiliation with specific political parties is not a secret. This group was chanting specific political slogans and has undisclosed political goals. What it declares is the holding of presidential elections, which is a political goal and not a demand within the framework of better living conditions for the people. The public's demands relate to waste collection or electricity supply, which is the right of all citizens." Al-Mashnouq reiterated, "We have no goal other than ensuring the security of all citizens. We will not allow either peaceful demonstrators or violent individuals to enter the Prime Minister's and Parliament buildings." He emphasized that "parliamentary elections will not be held before the election of a president. No one should sell the people dreams; this will not happen. To act according to the law, a president must first be elected." He also added that dialogue among political factions in Lebanon continues. Regarding the government's actions to resolve the waste crisis, Environment Minister Mohammad al-Mashnouq announced the conclusion of decision-making on the tender held to select volunteer companies for household waste collection. He stated that municipalities and civil society bodies would oversee the activities of the selected companies. Al-Mashnouq also referred to an extraordinary government session on Tuesday, where the final decision on awarding waste collection contracts to these companies would be made. He added that decisions regarding waste disposal sites would also be made in this session. This session appears to be crucial for the Lebanese government, as the failure of Tammam Salam to hold this session or the inability of attendees to reach a specific decision regarding the waste crisis could lead to the government's collapse. Al-Mashnouq mentioned the March 8 group (Hezbollah and its allies), stating that they are the ones obstructing the formation of government and parliamentary sessions and decision-making on important issues affecting people's lives, including the waste crisis. However, after this press conference, some Lebanese media claimed that each of the winning companies in the tender is affiliated with a Lebanese politician. On Monday, the "Your Stench Has Emerged" campaign also held a press conference, rejecting the recent government decisions regarding the waste crisis. The campaign's spokesperson accused security forces of "excessive use of force" against protesters. The demands stated in the campaign's statement included: "Overthrowing the Tammam Salam government, holding parliamentary elections, punishing the Interior Minister and all security forces that assaulted protesters, punishing infiltrators among the protesters who incited violence, and releasing detainees." The statement referred to the end of the current parliament's term, deeming the extension of this term by representatives, and consequently the election of a president by this parliament, as illegal. The campaign also announced that another protest would be held on Saturday, with the time and location to be announced later.