Port explosion – Explosion of Lebanon
Article by Mohammed Shaaban, Member of the Central Committee of ΑΚΕL
Sunday 23rd August 2020, “HARAVGI” newspaper
4th August 2020, a terrible deadly anniversary in the modern history of Lebanon. In one second, warehouse No. 12 in the port of Beirut, which stored 2,750 tons of ammonia nitrate, exploded.
For four and a half years these tons of ammonia nitrate were stored as a result of a court order without anyone knowing how long they had to stay there.
One third of Beirut has been destroyed. 180 people have been killed, 6.000 injured, 300,000 were made homeless and 73,000 housing units have been damaged. Damages have been estimated to range from $ 12 billion to $ 15 billion.
The explosion came at a time when the ruling class was on the brink of collapse, politically-economically and socially bankrupt at a time when unemployment has risen to approximately 60% and the coronavirus pandemic has reached unprecedented levels with hundreds of cases being recorded every day.
In these conditions, the people took to the streets in despair, demanding the resignation of the government, shouting for an end to the political system, which it considers to be responsible for the entire situation that has developed.
People are demanding that those guilty of ruling the country for 30 years should be punished.
The demonstrations organised on 17/10/19 managed to put an end to the government after two weeks. It was replaced with a government composed of technocrats which for 8 months did not offer the Lebanese people nothing apart from exacerbating the country’s socio-economic problems.
Unfortunately, the government ruling forces have not drawn lessons. On the contrary, they are trying by pursuing the same strategies (of religious division) to convince the people that with “new” policies they will solve all their wrongdoings, and in doing so they believe they will be able to save themselves. Of course this is being done with the help of America and France and with the blessing of Arab governments.
All this is happening under the eyes of the IMF, which is declaring with great audacity that it is ready to “help” with terms which they consider as imperative, such as the imposition of privatizations and the reduction of the salaries of government employees, the termination of subsidies for electricity, fuel, flour and cuts in pensions. In other words they are seeking to bury the poor before they die.
Neither France, nor America is interested in any radical change in Lebanon, as they are supporters of the existing rotten system. Instead they will join forces in order to maintain the system, presenting it with a new image.
Many countries and peoples around the world showed an interest in helping towards the reconstruction of Beirut.
The Lebanese people are grateful, even though Lebanon has both the capacity and economic possibility to rebuild its capital, provided that the money will be found from the corrupt forces who have been robbing Lebanon for 30 years.
That is precisely why what is at stake today is not the formation of a new government by these very forces, but instead a government that will have a new basis for the construction of a new homeland based on real democratic foundations.
For this goal to be achieved what is demanded is that all the popular strata and democratic forces unite their forces for the implementation of a common strategy aiming at resisting all the religious forces, imperialist plans and rotten Arab governments that have nothing to do whatsoever with the rights and interests of the Lebanese people.
It is now absolutely clear that only one solution exists, namely a popular revolution.
Finally, we bow our heads to those who were killed in the explosion on August 4th.
The struggle will continue until the governments of death will fall.
