Washington, D.C.- In Defense of Christians is closely monitoring the peaceful uprising across cities in Lebanon which started last Thursday. These protests are not motivated by any foreign influence and constitute a revolt against decades of fiscal irresponsibility, a troubled economy, and poor infrastructure planning.
The Lebanese have joined together, breaking through the religious and political barriers that had plagued the country, to represent a message of unity against the high rate of youth unemployment and government graft. The international community has praised the Lebanese for their unique methods of protests, both in their non-violence and volunteer clean-up efforts.
On Monday, Prime Minister Saad Hariri introduced a set of measures to combat these issues. These measures include a 6% deficit, 50% decrease of top official’s salary, housing loans and no new taxes.
However, even if these measures were to be approved by the parliament, IDC does not believe that they would be enough to heal the economy and appease the two million protesters at this juncture. Most of the proposed austerity measures are long overdue, and a dramatic course of action is the only remedy at this point for the government to regain the trust of the people.
As the protests continue to grow in size, In Defense of Christians is concerned by the possible threat of violence towards the people on the streets across Lebanon, but we applaud the mostly non-violent behavior of the protestors.Despite their non-violence, the demonstrators are being harassed, both physically and verbally, by Hezbollah supporters for speaking out against the many crimes the terrorist group commits regularly.
IDC recognizes the bravery of the Lebanese Armed Forces for protecting the people against the Iran-backed thugs, who are desperately trying to regain support from the Shia community. Time and time again, the LAF proves to be the only legitimate security force in the country, guarding all Lebanese citizens.
“As the last Christian stronghold in the region, it is in the interest of IDC and of the United States to promote a stable and unified Lebanon, free of foreign influence and corruption.” IDC President Toufic Baaklini noted.
“Today, Lebanon is of one voice, fighting against all those who wish to silence it,” Baaklini continued.
Furthermore, IDC commends the Lebanese Diaspora, not just in the United States but across the globe, for demonstrating support for the peaceful demonstrators throughout Lebanon.
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