Getting back to the source: Violence... avoidable

The recent events of rioting in the Southern suburbs and other neighborhoods in Beirut needs a review beyond the typical labeling of rioters as good/bad, justifiable or not.

IMO, those who jumped to the streets yesterday belong to a certain social class that has been affected by the following:

1. Severe socio-economic conditions that have conditioned those people to rash and emotional behavior instead of poised and intellectual reflection on the Televised event.

That burst of violence is not only a reaction to the caricaturization of Hassan Nasrallah's character, it is also a "fashet khel2" by men and women who are feeling victimized on severl fronts: political, social and economical.

The political segment has been discussed quite often, however socio-economic conditions (or perceptions) have been much less debated.

Provide those citizens with proper education, gratifying jobs and bright prospects and the reaction that we've seen yesterday would be greatly reduced, that is my opinion.

I realize that many Lebanese from all communities are struggling to provide their sons with the right education, all young men and women are fighting to earn a good living and most of us are not happy with current political conditions, however with that particular community, things have been historically compouding and they have developed (a tort ou a raison) a mentality of being unjustly treated, either by the state or by their fellow citizens from other communities.

I repeat my acknowledgment of Lebanese from all spectrums being subjected to harsh conditions, like in Akkar or other regions, however reality might be a bit harsher on that community in particular and I am sure that its perception is definitely that of being wronged.


2. The culture of political violence by Hassan Nasrallah and his party also greatly affect how their followers reacted.

Now, the creation of Hezb also was the product of several factors like the marginalization of its community, the ravages inflicted by Israel and the direct involvement of Iranian forces in their ideological struggle againt Israel and the US, in addition to religious factors.

However, Hezbollah cannot justify the continued culture of violence preached by its leaders in 2006, at a time when the civil war ended 16 years ago, after the 6th year of Israeli withdrawal and one year on that of the Syrians.

Hezbollah's leaders have a large responsibility in shaping their followers' reactions. Hezb does a good job at controlling its members' actions and reactions, however it cannot possibly claim that it has no effect on its followers.

Nasrallah cannot possibly say that yesterday's riots were "spontaneous" in the sense that his political speech and those of others in the Hezb have already prepated and conditioned large segments of the community to respond in such a manner; they cannot retreat from such moral responsibility.

This is what I had to say on the topic, I will be very interested to know your points of view on that issue, the why's, how's and what's that lead to such violence, a violence that can spread like fire and engulf the country, as we very well know.