Yumna Gemayel: Christian resistance against Syrian occupation has become Lebanese
The Kataeb and the Lebanese Forces commemorated yesterday the third anniversary of the withdrawal of Syrian occupation troops from Lebanon during a ceremony held at Sassine Square in Achrafieh.
Syrian troops entered Lebanon in 1976 and invaded the last free part of the country on October 13, 1990. They withdrew from Lebanon on April 26, 2005 after internal and international pressure was applied following the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which many blame on the Syrian regime.
The commemoration was held in front of the memorial dedicated to late President Bachir Gemayel and the “Martyrs of the Lebanese Resistance.”
Hundreds of participants hoisted Lebanese, Kataeb and LF flags, along with giant pictures of Syrian troops in Lebanon, on which was written: “Not to forget.”
“Beirut in general, and Achrafieh in particular will not forget its share of Syrian bombings, shelling, kidnappings, arrests, detentions and forced displacement that were committed during the 30 years of Syrian occupation in Lebanon,” Yumna Gemayel, daughter of Bachir Gemayel, said to the crowd.
“The residents of Beirut will never forget who established a government to force people to kneel down, humiliate them and take away their identity,” she added.
Gemayel said that the resistance, which began with the Christians, became a Lebanese movement and forced the Syrian occupation troops to withdraw “so that Lebanon would resume its path toward freedom.”
“Some of the Lebanese have not learned their lesson and are seeking the return of the Syrian occupation to Lebanon,” Gemayel said, urging the Lebanese to remember the price they paid to drive the occupiers out of Lebanon.
“Some of us have not learned the lesson. And the Syrians have forgotten the losses they suffered because of us. We haven’t forgotten what had happened in Qnat, Zahle, Al-Qaa, the Mountain and Beirut,” she said, referring to the fierce battles the Christians resistance fought against Syrian troops.
Gemayel called on the regime in Damascus to recognize that Lebanon is a sovereign state, not a Syrian province. “Let them draw the border and establish diplomatic representation,” she said.
“Christians and Lebanese must unite, as Lebanon’s freedom is still under threat,” Gemayel said. She also called on Kataeb and LF supporters to preserve their unity, “for the Cedar Revolution is not over yet.”