Qassem Condemns Violence 'by Any Side', Disavows Attacks on Protesters
Hizbullah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem on Thursday said he condemns violence by any side following the latest incidents in the protest-hit country.
“The right to assembly in squares and to demonstrating to raise the voice high and pressure officials is legitimate and must be protected, but road blocking and the obstruction of people’s lives is rejected, because citizens would be punishing other citizens instead of pressuring the ruling authorities,” Qassem said.
Condemning “all forms of cursing, insults, assault and stone-throwing by any side,” Qassem noted that Hizbullah “has confronted sectarian and regional strife and sought to contain it on many occasions throughout its political history” and will remain ready to “face it and prevent it.”
“Some have criticized us for failing to condemn some incidents, and this is deplorable, seeing as our stance is well-known. We support the right to peaceful and civilized expression and the right to political disagreement and we announce our stances bravely and clearly, but we can’t comment on every incident given the multitude and similarity of incidents, which are being repeated daily,” Hizbullah number two added.
“Our stance is clear and this is enough… and everyone knows that we had nothing to do with all the incidents that involved chaos and attacks and we will maintain this stance,” Qassem went on to say.
Supporters of Hizbullah and the AMAL Movement have recently attacked protesters in central Beirut, Tyre and Baalbek. They have also staged an angry rally in the southern Beirut suburb of Msharrafiyeh and engaged in stone-throwing skirmishes with residents of Ain el-Rummaneh.
Source: Naharnet
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