It’s a chaotic scene on the road to the Presidential Palace between two opposing protests, one calling for accountability for the Beirut explosion and the other in support of President Aoun.
As protesters of the Oct. 17 Revolution prepared for their demonstration, members of the Free Patriotic Movement gathered in support of President Aoun to oppose the people of the revolution.
The demonstration began as a peaceful march en route to Baabda Palace, calling for accountability for the recent tragedy.
But as they came closer to the Presidential Palace road, the Lebanese Army and security forces intervened in an attempt to control the situation.
As if going against commands, some soldiers began shooting real ammunition in the air in the path of protesters; they were seen being held back by their comrades.
“The entire army is here. What did we do? We’re only asking who caused the explosion at the port,” asked a protester on live television.
“We just want to live in peace and safety,” exclaimed another.
Like many top officials, President Aoun knew about the dangerous material in the port, yet did nothing with his power as the head of a nation to prevent the devastating explosion.
“It is now almost 40 days since the tragedy and only ‘small employees’ were taken into custody. ‘Big heads’ need to be held accountable”, called a protester.
