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Asir, Supporters Rally in Central Sidon
[An Nahar] Islamist holy man Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir and his supporters staged a sit-in Sunday at Nejmeh Square in central Sidon after security forces prevented them from heading to al-Karameh roundabout, where the protest was initially scheduled to be held.The sit-in was held amid strict security measures enforced by the army and the Internal Security Forces, state-run National News Agency reported. "The state's practices against us increase our determination to carry on with our protests until all demands are fulfilled, especially the evacuation of the tenants of the two apartments operated by Hizbullah and loaded with weapons in Abra," Asir said during the sit-in. Asir and his supporters had also rallied on Friday and Saturday near the Bilal bin Rabah Mosque in the Sidon suburb of Abra to protest claims that Hizbullah rented apartments in the vicinity of the mosque. On Sunday, army units and the ISF blocked all roads leading to Abra and diverted traffic to Sidon's western boulevard as a security precaution, NNA said. MTV said the army closed all roads in Abra with military vehicles ahead of the protest. "The army has encircled al-Karameh roundabout in Sidon and prevented vehicles coming from outside the city from approaching it," LBCI television reported. "We're determined to hold a sit-in at al-Karameh roundabout and we will head there on foot if we were prevented from moving forward," sources close to al-Asir told LBCI. Later, LBCI said Asir and his supporters blocked the road at Nejmeh Square. "We reject the security siege and media blackout," Asir said during Saturday's protest. Posted by: Fred 2013-03-04 |
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