Beirut, March 08: Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt said Monday that his party would not take part in a rally to mark the founding gathering of the March 14 coalition, saying that some of the speeches at the event would encourage sectarian strife and expose Lebanon to Israeli aggression.
“The Progressive Socialist Party will not take part in the March 13 demonstration. Despite the fact that it [the party] has never prevented a citizen from expressing their free opinion, [the party] believes … that people are free to choose not to attend an occasion where the orientation of some of its speakers is obvious,” Jumblatt said in his weekly editorial in the PSP’s Al-Anbaa newspaper.
“[Their orientation] encourages sectarian strife and hatred … and exposes Lebanon to Israel and its aggression, which is possible at any time,” the Chouf lawmaker added.
Jumblatt said the PSP could only adopt stances that would protect civil peace and national unity “because civil peace is above all considerations.”
Jumblatt was formerly one of the most outspoken members of the March 14 coalition, however, the MP quit the coalition shortly after the 2009 parliamentary elections.
Meanwhile, top March 14 officials continued to mobilize supporters for Sunday’s rally, which is set to take place at Martyrs Square, in the Lebanese capital. The rally marks the sixth anniversary of a series of demonstrations after the assassination of statesman Rafik Hariri that culminated on March 14, 2005, with a massive protest.
Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri said that it had been decided to celebrate the “March 14” anniversary this year Sunday, on March 13, instead of Monday, on March 14, because “we don’t want to impede the interests of the country or the people but we want to thwart coups, assassinations, oppression, tyranny, falsehood and deceit.”
Separately, Kataeb (Phalange) Party chief Amin Gemayel called upon the Lebanese to flock to the rally Sunday.
“We urge the Lebanese to head to ‘Freedom Square’ [Beirut Martyrs Square] Sunday to say that weapons and threats do not scare us or prevent us from declaring our positions and views … We want a heavy presence Sunday in Freedom Square,” Gemayel told a news conference at the Kataeb central headquarters in Beirut.
“The cause is calling us and we still want to confront the coup which is being protected by Hezbollah’s weapons, which some use as a tool to control institutions and take over authority and our free decision,” the former Lebanese president added.
——–Agencies