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2005-03-08 Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Team Hizbollah's line up for today's Syriafest
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Posted by mhw 2005-03-08 8:37:07 AM|| || Front Page|| [6 views since 2007-05-07]  Top

#1 Any guess on a head-count?

I was kind of hoping that Amal might find its political-ecological niche as the opposition coalition's Shia anchor, but it looks like they're swinging behind Hezbollah? Or is the "Amal's youths and sports bureau" some sort of People's Liberation Front of Judea/Judean People's Liberation Front deal?
Posted by Mitch H.  2005-03-08 9:03:43 AM|| [http://blogfonte.blogspot.com/]  2005-03-08 9:03:43 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 Mitch H.

Amal has been playing it both ways; almost all their PR has a combination of critizing America, days, demanding Lebanon for the Lebanese and praising their own work most days. Its almost as if the've been studying John F Kerry.

At least they don't say they've been in Cambodia.
Posted by mhw 2005-03-08 9:09:53 AM||   2005-03-08 9:09:53 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 Any mention of lucky hats kaffiyehs?
Posted by .com 2005-03-08 9:12:27 AM||   2005-03-08 9:12:27 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 the Syriafest looks to be an impressive one:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/03/08/lebanon.syria/index.html

the Hizbollah groups are displaying the Lebanon flag but I think the Sunnis, Druze, Maronite, Orthodox coalition realizes thats just a scam.

Posted by mhw 2005-03-08 9:55:44 AM||   2005-03-08 9:55:44 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 And just think, all those demonstrators (I heard a number this morning of 250,000+) are there under the banner of Hezbollah, the terrorist organization responsible for many innocents'deaths.

How does that say aything other than:
The greater populace of Lebanon (and the ME?) supports terrorism.
Chirac will end up backpedaling so that he is not seen as against Lebanese public opinion.
Posted by Jules 187 2005-03-08 10:25:36 AM||   2005-03-08 10:25:36 AM|| Front Page Top

#6 Jules,

Not quite so bad as that.

Among the Syriafest demonstrators are a number of people who have been coerced into attending. Also, people from Syria were bussed in for the event.

Also, amongst the Hizbollah supporters are a lot of Shiite folk who just are into identity politics.

Having said that, however, you are correct that a lot of the attendees at Syriafest are pro-terrorist types. Hizbollah is trying to portray themselves as moderate nationalists but their core supporters are pro terrorists (similar to the problem of the Democratic Party in the US) who will break into the 'death to America', 'death to...' on a moments notice.

Posted by mhw 2005-03-08 10:35:32 AM||   2005-03-08 10:35:32 AM|| Front Page Top

#7 yeah, but can they sustain these protests? Or will they be like the ones we saw here in our own country - one big show of strength and then dwindling down to moonbat parades?
Posted by 2b 2005-03-08 10:36:29 AM||   2005-03-08 10:36:29 AM|| Front Page Top

#8 Respectfully, I doubt most mainstream US Dems would delight in the outcome of suicide attacks (although there are nutcases like Ward among their ranks). Most are simply people that haven't thought through their political philosophy very well. Still, I take your point that many demonstrators may have been bussed in/coerced.

Until the sentiments of the ME populace are turned away from suicide bombings as legitimate political expression, there is scant hope for the ME-no matter who is our president and no matter what are our peace initiatives.
Posted by Jules 187 2005-03-08 10:41:42 AM||   2005-03-08 10:41:42 AM|| Front Page Top

#9 AP is saying nearly 500,000: <A CLASS=ED HREF="HTTP://apnews.myway.com/article/20050308/D88MSK300.html">. That's what I call a target rich environment!

I think it's very interesting that men and women were directed to different parts of the square. Unlike the pro-democracy protestors, who like to mix with the hotties, the Hezbollocks don't care much for womenfolk. ;-)
Posted by Tibor 2005-03-08 11:13:57 AM||   2005-03-08 11:13:57 AM|| Front Page Top

#10 Respectfully, I doubt most mainstream US Dems would delight in the outcome of suicide attacks

They wouldn't get off their asses to condemn those who DO express that delight, though. AND they tend to get upset and whine when people DO criticize the pro-terrorists.
Posted by Robert Crawford  2005-03-08 11:20:45 AM|| [http://www.kloognome.com/]  2005-03-08 11:20:45 AM|| Front Page Top

#11 True, RC.
Posted by Jules 187 2005-03-08 11:28:48 AM||   2005-03-08 11:28:48 AM|| Front Page Top

#12 another piece of the metaphor

as reported by http://blissstreetjournal.blogspot.com/

the Hizbollah speakers are spouting the boring moderate, "help us help you" type stuff we saw at the Democratic convention. The Democratic delegates were expecting this; however the Hizbollah activists attending Syriafest were looking for more 'kill the infidel' type stuff and are getting bored.
Posted by mhw 2005-03-08 11:30:40 AM||   2005-03-08 11:30:40 AM|| Front Page Top

#13 Personally I can’t see how there could be 500k supporters of Islamofacists. They would have had to bus them in from Syria to get that many. And yes it is interesting that they sound EXACTLY like the fever swamp that is the Democratic Party of the USA. Birds of a feather?
Posted by Cyber Sarge  2005-03-08 11:57:14 AM||   2005-03-08 11:57:14 AM|| Front Page Top

#14 Have heard estimates varying from Hezbollah's 1.6 million to Debka's 200,000. From the pictures, it looks closer to the Debka number 200,000 - 300,000. As the IDF would say, a target rich environment
Posted by RWV 2005-03-08 12:16:23 PM||   2005-03-08 12:16:23 PM|| Front Page Top

#15 Sorry Tibor. Should have read the comments more closely before commenting.
Posted by RWV 2005-03-08 12:19:15 PM||   2005-03-08 12:19:15 PM|| Front Page Top

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