Many of the so-called cartoon protests have drawn perhaps a few thousand radical Islamists at best. Their protest tools include organized acts violence and threats to kill those who publish material they don't like. But in Lebanon, the contrast between violent and non-violent protest could not be greater. On February 5, Muslim extremists, numbering perhaps in the thousands and cheered on by the Assad government, torched the Danish embassy in Beirut. But today, hundreds of thousands of mainly Sunnis marked the first anniversary of the Syrian orchestrated assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in a very different way. From the AP:
Hundreds of thousands of flag-waving Lebanese packed a square in central Beirut on Tuesday to mark the anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a momentous event that ended Syria's long domination of its smaller neighbor.... The demonstration in Martyrs' Square next to Hariri's grave drew mostly Sunni Muslims from the former leader's sect and Christian and Druse allies; the main pro-Syrian Shiite Muslim groups, Hezbollah and Amal, were not taking part. The participants included women in both headscarves and jeans. Some carried signs calling for "The Truth" and shouted the name of Hariri's son and political heir, Saad Hariri. Others carried placards critical of Syria and its president, Bashar Assad. "Isn't it enough, Bashar?" said one, listing the names of anti-Syrian Lebanese who have been slain in other bombings in the last year. "Those who killed Hariri meant to kill Lebanon, but they failed. A new united Lebanon was born," said Samia Baroudy, a 52-year-old housewife from the Christian suburb of Rabieh. Holding a Lebanese flag, she said Hariri's death was both "a disaster" and "a miracle" that brought the Lebanese together. Mohammed al-Ali, a 24-year-old Muslim barber from the northern province of Akkar, said he came to "to affirm the country's unity and Muslim-Christian coexistence." ...Anti-Syrian groups were hoping Tuesday's rally would be a repeat of a March 14 protest in which about 1 million flag-waving Lebanese converged on Martyrs' Square to demand the Syrian army leave Lebanon and that an international investigation look into Hariri's slaying. Syria's troops left in April under international pressure, and a United Nations probe into Hariri's murder has implicated top Syrian and allied Lebanese security officials. The pro-Syrian administration was also ousted from office. But anti-Syrian groups have continued to accuse Syria of interfering in Lebanese affairs and carrying out a campaign of bombings and assassinations in the past year that has killed 11 people, including three prominent anti-Syrians. Damascus has denied involvement in the Hariri murder and other attacks. The demonstration was carried live by most Lebanese television stations. However, Syria's official media did not broadcast any live footage. "We want all the truth," headlined one front-page editorial in Al-Thawra newspaper, a reference to Syria's claim it was being unfairly accused in the murder.