Leftist groups boycott labor strike, say protest was politicized

November 2003

BEIRUT - Leftist groups and Communist Students, a group of independent young communists, joined other senior leftist figures in boycotting the all-out strike and protest held in late October claiming that the activity was politicized and benefited some politicians at the expense of others.

In a press conference held at the Press Federation in the presence of former Bint Jbeil MP Habib Sadeq, head of the Democratic Forum, and Kesrouan MP Fares Soueid, the congregation lambasted the prevailing political situation saying that “liberation has become Shiite, the economy has become Sunni while Arab nationalism has become Druze.”

Opposition figures also held “all pillars of the authority” for the deterioration of the nation’s socioeconomic situation in debt-ridden Lebanon.

The Oct. 23 strike and protest gathered a mere 3,000 workers who marched from the Barbir to the Mathaf area to protest governmental socioeconomic policies.