Lebanese Women Demand Resignation of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and All MPs

Around 40 women marched Tuesday from Verdun to Ain al-Tineh neighborhoods of Beirut demanding the resignation of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and all lawmakers, as well as the appointment of a government of specialists.

“In every democratic country there is a ruling majority and a minority that monitors and holds it to account. But we are a people under the shadow of dictatorships and the rule of gangs,” one woman told local media.

“Berri thinks he’s the savior of the country, but he is only a guardian for the sectarian regime, an expert in exploiting the downtrodden for the benefit of thieves and an engineer in spoil sharing,” she continued.

The protesters emphasized that their demonstration was a continuation of the Oct. 17 Uprising against Lebanon’s corrupt political and finical elite, and that although they were marching as women, their calls were for universal rights.

Since nationwide protests broke out last October clashes have been a regular occurrence with security forces. Plain-clothes Parliamentary Police, who fall under Berri’s command, have attacked protesters on numerous occasions -- sometimes shooting them with live ammunition, rubber bullets, or metal pellets, as documented by Human Rights Watch at the Aug. 8 protest in which hundreds were injured.

“The last couple of times we came this way [Berri’s] guards smashed our cars and attacked us. We decided as women, mothers to come down very peacefully to demand very basic rights -- a decent living, electricity and water supply,” one woman said.

“Ain al-Tineh in particular is very critical because several times we have come this way and the guys were provoked and they bad-mouthed each other and the protests ended badly,” another said.

This article has been adapted from its original source.