Lebanese protesters are calling for a rally in front of former MP and leader of the Progressive Socialist Party Walid Jumblatt’s house in Clemenceau, Beirut, this Friday, November 15 at 6 PM. The event was scheduled by revolutionaries and has been circulating social media pages for the past 24 hours.
The description of the image promoting the protest shared online reads: “Because we are cautious of politicians riding the ‘wave’ [of the revolution], and because he is part of the political class that we went out against, we call for a sit-in in front of former MP Walid Jumblatt’s house.”
Protesters have called for the rally after the events that took place this Tuesday, November 12, when Jumblatt, one of the major figures targeted by the revolutionaries, received a warm welcome and was allowed passage through a road that was blocked by protesters in the Camille Chamoun Sports City area in Beirut.
Jumblatt was visiting the Kamal Jumblatt Hospital in the area following the tragic death of demonstrator Alaa Abou Fakher, who passed away in that hospital after being shot, allegedly by a member of the Lebanese Army.
Some demonstrators who were blocking the road leading to the hospital cheerfully greeted Jumblatt as he approached the blockade; they took selfies with the PSP chairman and happily made way for his convoy to move on. He then spoke from the hospital and claimed that he supported the revolution.
In the middle of the chaos a video of @walidjoumblatt convoy passing and protesters opened the road for him in a very significant way. #ميشال_عون #جنبلاط #لبنان_ينتفض #الطرقات pic.twitter.com/ZnVNR0rgDY
— Lebanese Bonkers (@BonkersLebanese) November 12, 2019
Revolutionaries around Lebanon expressed distaste for the hypocritical act of letting the man through the blockade, asserting that the slogan of their revolution has been كلن_يعني_كلن# (All of them means all of them) since the beginning. And perhaps to further show their disapproval of Jumblatt, they have scheduled a gathering in front of his house this Friday.
Reacting to the event, the official Twitter account of the Progressive Socialist Party tweeted: “As a result of some social media reports about a gathering planned for Friday in front of the house of Progressive Socialist Party Chairman Walid Jumblatt in Clemenceau, the party calls on all its members and supporters to remain calm and respect freedom of expression.”
أعلن الحزب التقدمي الاشتراكي أنه “عطفاً على ما تناقلته بعض وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي عن تجمع من المزمع إقامته الجمعة أمام منزل رئيس الحزب التقدمي الاشتراكي وليد جنبلاط في كليمنصو، يدعو الحزب جميع أعضائه ومناصريه إلتزام الهدوء التام وإحترام حرية التعبير عن الرأي pic.twitter.com/hmIBXdekNn
— alwassat – atv الوسط (@alwassat_com) November 8, 2019
Similarly, yesterday Wednesday, November 13, groups of protesters voluntarily gathered in front of Jumblatt’s house and chanted “All of them means all of them, Jumblatt is one of them” as a reminder that he is also a target of the demonstrations.
It is worth noting what was reported today about Jumblatt’s security staff moving precious properties, including paintings and other decorative items, from his Clemenceau house to his hometown Mokhtara. Files and computers were also reported to have been moved from the Progressive Socialist Party’s headquarters in Beirut today.
Follow us on Instagram @the961 and on Twitter the961com as we are currently covering the Lebanese revolution stories. Also, join us on Facebook @The961 to engage with our fans in Lebanon and across the world.