Hundreds of thousands of anti-Syrian protesters have joined a rally in Beirut to mark the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri, one month on. Huge crowds from across the country have gathered in Martyrs' Square in central Beirut, close to Mr Hariri's grave. They are demanding an international inquiry into his killing and a complete withdrawal of Syrian military and intelligence units from Lebanon.Opposition protests have taken place on an almost daily basis since the bomb attack that killed Mr Hariri, but today Sunni, Druze and Christians - the factions that fought against each other in the 1975-1990 civil war - joined together to pay their respects. The rally follows yesterday's anti-American demonstration organised by Lebanon's Hizbollah. Political sources have said that although the protests and rallies have been peaceful so far, they fear violence due to frustrations over Syria's involvement in the crisis since Mr Hariri's death. The authorities are thought to be considering a ban on future demonstrations. Emile Lahoud, the pro-Syrian president, has called for an end to the street protests and has urged the opposition to open a dialogue in an attempt to resolve the political crisis.
UPDATE: Reports say from 500,000 to 1 million people have gathered in central Beirut for a rally aimed at forcing Syria to withdraw from Lebanon. Reports say demonstrators are still arriving from all parts of the country. A pro-Syria rally yesterday drew about 500,000 people -- and reports say today's demonstration is larger.