…كلا لم تفشل ثورة ١٧ تشرين، هذا ما حقّقته
No the Lebanese “Thawra” Did Not Fail, Here’s Why…

(English Below)

كلا، لم تفشل ثورة 17 تشرين. قد يكون مغريا اليوم أن نستسلم لليأس والإحباط وأن نتوهّم أنّ الانتفاضة لم تحقّق شيئا، لكنّ الحقيقة مغايرة لذلك:

قد لا نكون قد حقّقنا ما نطمح له حتى الآن، ولكن يمكننا بالتأكيد البناء على ما أنجزناه لاستكمال معركتنا الطويلة ضدّ العصابة الحاكمة. التعب والإحباط طبيعي في بعض المراحل لأن معركتنا قاسية وصعبة، لكننا مستمرون في المواجهة.

 تحيّة لكل من ساهم ويساهم من موقعه في هذه النضال النبيل.

No, the October 17 revolution has not failed. Though it may be tempting to give in to despair and frustration, and to assume that the uprising did not achieve anything, the truth is far from that:

1. We brought down the “everyone means everyone” cabinet in the streets despite the aggression of their thugs and the threats of the leader of the most powerful militia in the Middle East.
   
   
2. We have won the Syndicate of Lawyers elections despite the alliance of all parties against us. Today, these parties continue to postpone the Syndicate of Engineers elections, as they fear another resounding defeat.
   
   
3. After decades in which the majority of citizens had avoided “politics”, we have significantly expanded the segments of the population who are engaged in public affairs and who want to see a radical political change. This is the highest rate of civic engagement since before the civil war.
   
   
4. We have challenged the ruling parties in their own territories. For the first time in the history of Jumblatti feudalism, bold demonstrations took place in the Chouf and Aley, and for the first time also people bravely protested and defied the militia parties in Nabatiyeh and other regions.
   
   
5. We have torn down sectarian barriers between regions and we have refuted the lie that every sectarian leader uses to shore up support: “our sect is in danger”. This is the first time in more than 50 years that such solidarity occurred between the different public squares: getting to know one another, mutual visits, trust building, and even blood donations to the wounded across squares such as Jal el Dib, Nabatiyeh, Tripoli, and others. Persistence of such solidarity initiatives across sectarian lines will be essential to weaken the sectarian leaders in the future.
   
   
6. Discussions and political education sessions have intensified in a record time across all the squares of Lebanon, and discussions that were previously restricted to small groups of activists have now become mainstreamed into public discourse.
   
   
7. Alternative political groups and parties have organized and significantly expanded. Though they have yet to produce a common platform, the formation and development of these alternative political groups can certainly be built upon in the future.
   
   
8. The Lebanese Diaspora across the world has organized under the banner of confronting the corrupt sectarian system. This comes years after the diaspora was only tapped into for support by some sectarian leaders.
   
   
9. We have attracted the attention of international media and we have mobilized international public opinion, and this has contributed to delegitimizing the criminal ruling class on the world arena.
   
   
10. We have stopped the Bisri Dam crime despite the efforts of the entire ruling political class and despite the efforts of the World Bank as well.
    
    
11. We have launched dozens of effective and inspiring initiatives to show solidarity with people and to support poor families since before the August 4^th explosion, and we have launched hundreds of other initiatives to provide relief and support to victims of the explosion after August 4^th, all on a voluntary basis. This solidarity will weaken the ‘clientelistic’ networks on which the power of sectarian parties also rests.
    
    
12. We have established successful platforms for alternative media on social media and we have broken the monopoly of sectarian parties on traditional media.
    
    
13. We have won the student elections at the Lebanese American University, and are preparing to fight electoral battles in all universities and syndicates.
    
    

We may have not yet achieved what we aspire for, but we can certainly build on what we have accomplished so far to carry on with our long battle against the ruling mob. Occasional fatigue and are understandable because our battle is tough and difficult, but we will march on.

We salute all those who have contributed and continue to contribute to this noble struggle.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of the site administration and/or other contributors to this site.

Comments

comments