Lebanon Marks Anniversary of Hariri's Murder with New Cedar Revolt

One million Lebanese flocked to Martyrs' Square Tuesday to mark the first anniversary of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination, in a replication of the Cedar Revolution that took the country by storm a year ago.A human wave carrying red and white Lebanese flags covered the square as the demonstrators gathered in and around the center of the city. The crowds overwhelmed thousands of army troops and policemen deployed amid high security measures.Endless bus convoys poured into the capital from regions throughout the country to take part in the commemorative event. Entrances to the square were clogged with a sea of marchers from all ages and a wide range of religious groups. The demonstrators held banners demanding the resignation of President Emile Lahoud. Some of the signs read: "The extension killed Hariri," "Lahoud is unconstitutional." The president's term was extended in Sept. 2004 under Syrian pressure.
Others carried placards critical of Syria and its president, Bashar Assad. "Isn't it enough, Bashar?" said one, listing the names of anti-Syrian Lebanese who have been slain in other bombings over the last year.
"Yes, for the Syrian people. No to (Syrian) intelligence terrorism," read another.
The organizers of the rally dubbed the "gathering of loyalty and unity" are hoping to recreate the same momentum as the March 14 protest when 1 million flag-waving Lebanese converged on the same spot to pressure Syria to withdraw and demand an international investigation of the assassination of Hariri.
The slain leader was buried along with seven of his companions at al Amin mosque that oversees Martyrs' Square, popularly renamed Freedom Square after his death. All anti-Syrian groups known as the March 14 alliance are participating in huge numbers. The largest members of the coalition are Saad Hariri's Future Movement, Walid Jumblat's Progressive Socialist Party and Samir Geagea's Lebanese Forces representing Lebanon's Sunni Muslim, Druze and Christian communities.Jumblat was among the first politicians to arrive on the scene to participate in the event. He held a meeting with Saad and Geagea at Camp Freedom ahead of a series of political speeches.Forces outside the alliance including Gen. Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement and the two Shiite parties Amal and Hizbullah will only send political representatives. The FPM was a key member of the anti-Syria coalition that drove Damascus' forces out of Lebanon last year. However, relations between Aoun and the remaining members of the alliance have been tense especially in light of a recent cooperation agreement he signed with the Party of God.Politicians of the March 14 alliance dedicated their speeches to Hariri and the 22 other people who died in the fateful blast on Beirut's seaside Corniche a year ago. One of the victims was former Trade and Economy Minister Bassel Fleihan who survived the bombing but died from severe burns two months later.They also paid tribute to Samir Kassir, George Hawi and Gebran Tueni, key figures in the March 14 movement, who were assassinated last year.At 12:55 the crowd will observe a moment of silence in memory of Hariri and the remaining victims.Saad Hariri, who took on his father's political mantle, is also expected to address the huge gathering. Saad returned home at the weekend after six months in exile due to security concerns to issue an emotional appeal for a massive turnout for Tuesday's anniversary of his father's murder as a show of Lebanese unity. The anniversary "will be a day of a renewal of faith in the unity of Lebanon", Hariri told a press conference. "I call on all Lebanese to adopt a historic position of unity on this day to show that our national unity is above all else and that the forces of March 14 will remain united," he added.Beirut has been adorned with billboards in honor of Hariri, a five-time billionaire premier who played a major role in the reconstruction of Beirut after the 1975-1990 civil war. "We miss you," one of them reads. Restaurants and hotels in Beirut marked St Valentine's Day three days early this year so as not to clash with the Hariri commemoration. Florists reported a rush on roses both for lovers and to be placed on Hariri's tomb.