By Ashraf Monzer
Monday, March 07, 2011

BEIRUT: Thousands of people marched from Dora to Beirut Sunday in the second round of a campaign to “topple the sectarian regime” and its leading symbols.

Waving Lebanese flags, the demonstrators hoped to capitalize on public support for an end to corruption, selecting the Electricite du Liban building – a symbol of government mismanagement – as their end-point.
Although much of the rhetoric was fiercely anti-sectarian, a few religious figures took part, advocating peaceful acts to topple the sectarian regime.

“This revolution should maintain its strength, because it is against injustice,” said Sheikh Ali Sayyad. “This revolution should demand socio-economic justice, and reject all kinds of favoritism. I represent myself, not Dar al-Fatwa, and I believe politics and corruption has infiltrated in Dar al-Fatwa.”
Bishop Gregoire Haddad, a veteran of secular campaigning, also attended.

“We’ve been demanding the toppling of the sectarian regime for 40 years,” said the 87-year-old, touring the protest by car. “But the movement shouldn’t be violent, so that we don’t witness what has happened in the Arab world … I believe it’s [too] early to call on the top three leaders to resign.”
For the young activists who organized the march, and preferred to remain anonymous, the reasons for the march were clear.

“We want a system that isn’t based on wars every 15 years, blood, and corruption,” one activist said. “We want to know where the $60 billion [of public debt] went … What will our children inherit?”
Last week saw round one of the campaign, when hundreds of people turned out for a rally in Beirut, despite a driving rainstorm.

The head of the Secondary School Teachers Union, Hanna Gharib, praised the latest effort. “These are good signs, when these youngsters go to the streets and leave their differences aside and unite to topple the regime.”
While the campaign’s youth aspect is pronounced, organizers want to gain support from all age groups, modeling themselves on the unrest sweeping the Arab world.

“I’m participating in this revolution to topple the sectarian system, which resembles corruption,” said Rabia, 49. 
Some supporters came with their families.
“We’re sick of this thing called sectarianism, because if you go back to the reasons behind all the wars in the country, it’s this system. I came with my two children today because I want to say ‘Enough,’” said one 40-year-old man.

But before the march, activists met at UNESCO Palace to coordinate activities during what turned out to be a raucous session.
Members of the media were asked to leave until a majority vote was taken and approved their presence.
Representatives from the Amal Movement, however, left minutes after attendees called for all “political sectarian parties” to leave.

For now, the activists appear to be divided over whether the campaign should support ending sectarianism via reforms stipulated by the Taif Accord, or via targeting the entire regime, meaning the politicians who have endorsed Taif.

Similar protests took place in Baalbek and in Sidon.
For his part, Speaker Nabih Berri, the head of Amal, was quoted as saying that he supported the effort, and embraced its demands.