Christian politicians distance themselves from Hariri as protests continue

Divisions in Lebanon’s entrenched political class have opened as hundreds of thousands of anti-government protesters flocked to the streets and squares of cities and towns for a seventh successive day.

Christian politicians have been the first to distance themselves from prime minister Saad Hariri, who has been urged by protesters to resign along with his government.

The Lebanese Forces, the largest Christian party in parliament, has not only ordered its four ministers to resign from the cabinet, but has also encouraged its supporters to join protesters without showing the party flag or insignia

Right-wing Maronite Christian Phalange party lawmaker Sami Gemayel, scion of a family which has dominated the Lebanese scene for decades, joined protesters who were challenged by the army for blocking a road.

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Men and women raised their arms and shouted “peaceful, peaceful” to show they reject violence and refused to be pushed behind barricades. The closure of main and secondary roads has been widely criticised by Lebanese people not engaged in the demonstrations and by many who are.

Troops have also taken on motorcycle-mounted elements from the populist Shia Amal and Hizbullah movements who have tried to intimidate protesters. Amal and Hizbullah which, ironically, form the political bloc rivalling Mr Hariri, have condemned threats by their backers but have not expressed support for the demonstrations. They fear a vacuum if Mr Hariri's government is brought down, the preliminary demand of the protesters.

Flight plans

Lebanese protesters also want to impose retroactive accountability with the aim of retrieving politicians’ ill-gotten gains. This will be difficult as money has been exported and key figures have well prepared flight plans.

Maronite Catholic and Greek Orthodox prelates have called for peace. Maronite patriarch Beshara al-Rahi convened a “spiritual summit” on Wednesday, arguing that the “people have no trust in the state, but they trust the church”.

Orthodox metropolitan Elias Awdeh asked "those who demand the opening of roads to go to work" if they were in jobs before the protests. He referred to youth unemployment rates of 37-60 per cent around the country. "Let the Lebanese talk with the Lebanese, and let us have 20 vacuums because the vacuum is better than what we have today."

Daily protests have swollen over the past week with 1.3 million to 1.5 million Lebanese participating across the country, one quarter of the population, the largest percentage in any Arab country during and since the 2011 Arab Spring.

In Lebanon protesters are not only calling for removal of the government and the corrupt political elite but also demand an end to the sectarian framework of the state bequeathed by colonial France.

This will be a difficult proposition. Ali, a Shia lawyer from the south, says "in Lebanon, unlike Egypt and Tunisia, we don't have one dictator but many dictators".

Civil war

The political figures who constitute the entrenched political class have exploited the country and its people, particularly since a 15-year civil war ended in 1990. Before that time Lebanon suffered corruption, but governments made an effort to promote development, deliver services and provide jobs. Lacking these benefits the populace has staged an uprising unprecedented in Lebanon’s history.