Hundreds of thousands of protesters from Hizbullah and its pro-Syrian opposition allies massed Friday in downtown Beirut seeking to force the resignation of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, who was holed up in his office.
The crowd, which police estimated at 800,000, created a sea of Lebanese flags . Hizbullah officials put the number at 1 million, the AP reported.
"Saniora out! We want a free government!" protesters shouted through loudspeakers.
Heavily armed troops and police had closed all roads to downtown. The heavy security came amid fears the protests may turn into clashes. Hizbullah's security men formed two lines between the protesters and the security forces to prevent clashes.
Saniora vowed his government would not fall, warning in a nationally televised speech Thursday night that "Lebanon's independence is threatened and its democratic system is in danger."Saniora asked Lebanese to show support by raising the Lebanese flag on their windows and balconies.
Tension have been running high between Sunnis, who generally support the anti-Syrian government, and Shiites, who lead the pro-Syrian opposition. Within this framework, the spiritual leader of Lebanon's Sunnis, Grand Mufti Mohammed Rashid Kabbani, gave Friday prayers at the prime minister's headquarters in a show of support for Saniora.
"Fear has gripped the Lebanese," Kabbani said, appealing for the protests to end. "The constitution guarantees freedom of expression, but trying to overthrow the government in the street is a call for stirring up discord among people, and we will not accept this."
On its part, Hizbollah deputy leader, Sheik Naim Kassim, made it clear the fight is against "American tutelage" and said the protest action will continue until the government falls. "We will not let you sell Lebanon, we will protect the constitution and people of Lebanon," Kassim said on television Friday, addressing Saniora.
Retired General Michel Aoun, leader of the predominantly Christian Free Patriotic Movement, addressed the crowd from behind a bullet-proof glass shield saying: "I call on the premier and his ministers to resign". Aoun told the cheering crowd: "Resignation is the only way out".
He criticized some media reports that said participation in the protest by Christians, Sunnis and Druze Muslims was marginal. Aoun, addressing media organizations, said: "Shame on you to differentiate one sect from another… we've gathered under the Lebanese flag".
