Lebanese protesters–including anti-Hezbollah protesters–warned by Interior Minister not to insult public officials

 

Naharnet reports:

Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi on Tuesday warned anti-government protesters against insulting political leaders, the blocking of roads and what he described as “provocation.”

“Insults against the President and the Parliament Speaker are unacceptable,” Fahmi said, commenting on the latest protests outside the Baabda palace and the Ain el-Tineh palace.

“Let them be peaceful during protests and I'll be with them, but provocation is prohibited,” Fahmi went on to say.

Indeed, Lebanese law has a string of prohibitions against freedom of speech, including against libel and defamation of public officials, insulting the army, president, flag or national emblem.

Lebanon is probably the most liberal nation in the Arab world in regards to freedom of speech. While there are occasional articles  complaining about the lack of freedom of speech in Lebanon – I found this one from The Guardian in 2010 - and other Arab countries, in general this topic is widely ignored.

Some of the protests have included speeches against Hezbollah, and one that is aimed specifically at Hezbollah is planned for Saturday.

The anti-government protests have slowed down with the coronavirus but have been growing again in the past couple of weeks.

Speaking of insulting Lebanon’s army, anonymous Internet users seem unworried about it, as these commenters said in response to a tiny incident on the Lebanese border with the IDF yesterday: