Salafists and Baathists face off in Beirut amid high security

From outside the Bilal Ben Rabah Mosque, Sheikh Ahmad al Assir slammed the UN and Security Council and their positions on the events in Syria and Palestine.    

Downtown Beirut was divided into two halves. The first is occupied by Sheikh Assir and others who showed their support to the Syrian people, while the second was flooded by the Baath Party and other allied voices supporting the Syrian regime.     

Addressing the Christians, Assir said “you are not demanding protection from anyone; we are asking for protection through your steadfastness in the region because the Israeli enemy is seeking to eliminate you from the Middle East.”       

Assir also extended thanks to security apparatuses for providing cover for the movement, adding that Syrian President Bashar Assad was speaking the truth when he pointed out a conspiracy against Syria; “it is in fact a conspiracy against the Syrian people.”   

Assir also said that the events in Syria have removed the masks that have always fooled everyone.      

The Salafist rally also saw the participation of Lebanese singer Fadel Chaker who stressed the importance that artists support the Syrian people, calling on them to denounce the “massacres in Syria”.    

Al Assir protesters repeated anti-Assad slogans such as “We answer your call Homs” and “We answer your call al-Aqsa”.     

Meanwhile, Baath party supporters and other pro-Assad protestors raised banners reading “Oh President, only shameful people despise you”. Both demonstrations saw the participation of Syrian workers in Lebanon.    

During Saturday’s meeting chaired by Interior Minister Marwan Charbel, security forces prepared a plan to separate the two demonstrations starting from Sidon all the way to downtown Beirut. The plan makes sure that Al Assir and the Salafists coming from Sidon will not enter the southern suburbs.     

According to the plan, the Salafists will occupy the spot between the An-Nahar newspaper building and Le Gray hotel while the Baath party supporters and their allies will stage their demonstration in Debbas-Al Azariyeh square. Security forces is separating the two demonstrations with barbed wire and are planning to establish a 30-40 meter long barrier in the middle of martyr's square.    

The Ministry of Interior deployed an anti-riot group that will intervene in the event of any security disruptions. Three army checkpoints were placed in the north of the capital and four in south Beirut to check identities and search cars.