Nasrallah appears in person at the anti-Islam film protest in Beirut

Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah made a surprise appearance at the protest he called for in Beirut’s Southern Suburbs to denounce the anti-Islam film “Innocence of Muslims”, produced in the United States. Nasrallah thanked all those who responded to his call, saying that some do not realize how offensive the film is.

Nasrallah called for banning the film and punishing those behind it. “The US must understand that releasing the entire film would have very dangerous repercussions”.

Hezbollah chief reiterated his call for the international community to issue resolutions and national laws to criminalize offenses against the 3 major religions, stressing the importance of coexistence and directing anger towards the “real enemy”

Following Nasrallah's calls, thousands of Lebanese protesters chanting "Death to America, Death to Israel" are protesting in Beirut's Shi'ite Southern Suburbs to denounce a film made in the United States which mocks the Prophet Mohammad. "All these developments are being orchestrated by U.S. intelligence", Nasrallah said on Sunday.

The Amal party also called on its partisans to join in the demonstration.                    

"America, hear us - don't insult our Prophet," chanted the marchers at the demonstration.
                   

The peaceful protest, which came after a weekend of violent demonstrations across Arab capitals in which several U.S. embassies were attacked, stayed well away from U.S. missions on the city's northeastern outskirts.                            

It followed a three-day visit to Lebanon by Pope Benedict who used his trip to call for reconciliation between Muslims and Christians.                     

For his part, Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said that the ministry has been notified of the protests, adding that they will be limited and timed.              

“Measures have been taken to ensure the safety of American missions here in Lebanon, since Lebanese people also benefit from these institutions,” he confirmed.             

Similarly, violent protests erupted Monday morning in the Afghan capital Kabul as protesters burnt cars and chanted anti-American slogans.             

The film has incited over the past week the worst wave of anti-American sentiment across the Muslim world.              

In Libya an attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans last Tuesday.         

On Friday, one person was killed in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli in protests against the film which depicts the prophet as a womanizer and homosexual. 


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REUTERS/LBCI