Sayyed Nasrallah expresses solidarity with Lebanese protesters, says opposes gov’t resignation

AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah expressed solidarity with protesters’ demands warning that if Hezbollah took to streets, it will not leave before reaching the goals that it came for, “even if we had to stay a day, a month, or a year or two.”

In a speech marking the Arbaeen occasion in Baalbek on Saturday, Sayyed Nasrallah warned that if Hezbollah took to streets, all equations will be changed, but this time has yet to come. His eminence expressed opposition to calls for the resignation of Lebanon’s government, vowing not to allow anyone to “burn” Lebanon and take it to abyss. “Shall Hezbollah respond to demands urging us to participate in the demonstrations, we won’t back down until our demands are met even if we had to stay for months in the streets,” his eminence said.

Sayyed Nasrallah said Hezbollah was determined to solve the country’s problems and not allow anyone to drown this country and lead it to chaos.

Hezbollah S.G. explained that the problems in the country were “systematic” and would not be fixed by a change of government, given that the new government would most probably include the same combination of already existing political factions.

“We do not support the resignation of the current government and the luxury of forming a new government does not exist,” Sayyed Nasrallah said, adding that if the current government fails to address the crisis, no other government can. Forming a new one would be “a waste of time, because if the government was political, it will be the same parties but different names for ministers.”

“The current crisis is not something new, it has been accumulating for the last ten or twenty years.”

Sayyed Nasrallah criticized all political factions and officials who are relinquishing their responsibilities and throwing blames on others, saying everyone, without exceptions, should shoulder his responsibilities for how thing turned out. “Everyone must shoulder his responsibility and coordinate efforts to find a solution. You may not rule the country for the last 30 years and turn the blame on others today.”

Officials must realize the people’s inability to tolerate new taxes and fees, Sayyed Nasrallah said, adding that “some in power thought that raising taxes can pass again like before, they go for the easier choice, the people’s pockets. However, the demonstrations relayed a strong message to officials that they won’t bear or tolerate that anymore.”

Lauding the demonstrations for being spontaneous and independent from any foreign or domestic political influence, Sayyed Nasrallah warned demonstrators to beware of the rallies being hijacked or adopted by political groups.

“It was enough for the information minister to announce the decision to announce the WhatsApp fees, when people went outraged to streets. But that wasn’t the only reason, this was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Sayyed Nasrallah said. Addressing demonstrators, His eminence said: “Your demonstrations have borne fruit and the fees on Whatsapp were withdrawn. We respect your cries but you must not deviate from your main cause.”

Sayyed Nasrallah also called for a “new spirit” in resolving the country’s problems which he described as a “problem of confidence” between the government and the people, and warned that if taxes were to be imposed on the poor or other necessities were to arise, Hezbollah would act accordingly.

Hezbollah leader hailed Baalbek citizens who have neither abandoned Imam Hussein back then, nor now. He also saluted millions of pilgrims who thronged out from all over the world towards Imam Hussein’s shrine in Karbala.

Sayyed Nasrallah’s speech came two days after the nationwide protests against new taxes and the deteriorating economic and living conditions in the country.

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