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Biggest Anti-Syria Protest in Beirut
 Over one million opposition backers chanted "Freedom, Sovereignty, Independence" and unfurled a huge Lebanese flag in central Beirut yesterday, throwing the biggest protest yet in the opposition's duel of street rallies with supporters of Syria and the Lebanese government. Crowds of men, women and children flooded Martyrs' Square, spilling over into nearby streets, while more from across the country packed roads into Beirut — responding to opposition calls to mark a month since the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. His slaying sparked a series of protests against Syria, the dominant power in Lebanon. "We are coming to liberate our country. We are coming to demand the truth," said Fatma Trad, a veiled Sunni woman who traveled from the remote region of Dinniyeh in northern Lebanon to take part. The protest was heavily mixed, reflecting Lebanon's religious diversity. Druse descended from the Chouf and Aley mountains east and southeast of Beirut and Christians arrived from the heartland in the northeast. There was a big turnout of Sunni Muslims, including many who bused into the capital from northern Lebanon's Tripoli, Dinniyeh and Akkar regions, plus from Hariri's hometown, Sidon, in southern Lebanon and Beirut itself. The protest, potentially the biggest in Lebanon's history, easily exceeded the pro-government rally of some 500,000 held last week by Hezbollah. That show of strength forced the opposition to act to regain its momentum. Police officers privately estimated yesterday's crowd at over one million people, but refused to speak publicly because of the sensitivity of the issue as it was an opposition rally. Posted by: Fred 2005-03-15 |
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