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'Samir will not die'

In a funeral infused with political symbolism, thousands grieve for slain Lebanese journalist while protesting against Syria's remaining allies

BY MOHAMAD BAZZI | MIDDLE EAST CORRESPONDENT

June 5, 2005

BEIRUT, Lebanon - As soon as he was assassinated in a car bombing Thursday, journalist Samir Kassir became a martyr for those seeking to rid Lebanon of the last vestiges of Syrian influence.

Kassir's funeral and burial yesterday turned into a protest against Syria's remaining allies: President Emile Lahoud and the Lebanese security services. Several thousand people lined the streets for the funeral procession - a lower turnout than opposition leaders had expected, but the opposition used the occasion to call for a large demonstration tomorrow, when protesters are expected to lay wreathes along the road leading to the presidential palace in the suburb of Baabda.

This would be the first march on the palace in two decades, and it is intended to increase public pressure on Lahoud to resign, as opposition leaders have demanded for months.

"The killing machine sitting in Baabda must be stopped," Elias Atallah, an opposition member of parliament, told mourners at Kassir's funeral.

Lahoud and other Syrian-backed Lebanese officials denied involvement in Kassir's killing. Lahoud also has consistently refused to step down, setting up a showdown with the opposition.

Kassir, 45, was a columnist for An-Nahar newspaper and campaigned for years against Syria's military and political domination over its smaller neighbor. He is the most prominent figure to have been killed in Lebanon since the Feb. 14 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. That killing prompted international pressure and popular protests that led to the resignation of the Syrian-backed Lebanese prime minister and to the withdrawal of thousands of Syrian troops in April.

Syria had kept troops in Lebanon since 1976, a year after the start of a civil war. But when the war ended in 1990, the troops remained and Syria's influence extended to all parts of Lebanon's political and economic life.

As Kassir's cortege neared St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral yesterday, the bells of surrounding churches began pealing, mixing with the chants of mourners and Quranic prayers warbling from the mosque where Hariri is buried.

The funeral Mass was infused with political symbolism. "You [Kassir] had wounded the dragon, so the other dragons came to kill you, even though your only weapon was a pen," Bishop George Khodr said as he stood over Kassir's Lebanese flag-draped coffin.

"I tell the free people of Lebanon and the Arab world that Samir will not die," said Nayla Tueini, a reporter at An-Nahar and the daughter of the paper's owner. "Our mission is to follow Samir's path."

Lebanon is in the midst of monthlong parliamentary elections, the first balloting in decades held without the shadow of civil war or Syrian domination. An alliance of opposition groups, led by Hariri's son, Saad, swept Beirut's voting last week, winning all 19 seats. The next round of voting is to be held today in the mainly pro-Syrian, Shia-dominated south.

The anti-Syrian opposition is expected to win a majority in the 128-member parliament. Once a new legislature is in place, it is expected to name a new cabinet and try to oust Lahoud as president.

Opposition leader Walid Jumblatt hinted yesterday that there would be a sustained protest campaign until Lahoud resigns or is forced out. "We will have a peaceful sit-in until the resident of Baabda leaves," Jumblatt said after Kassir's funeral. "Once the new parliament is in place, we will have a new president."

Kassir was a leader of the Democratic Left Movement, which helped organize protests after Hariri's killing, and he also taught political science at Beirut's St. Joseph University. Aside from being a fierce critic of Syria's actions in Lebanon, Kassir was a supporter of a nascent reform movement in Damascus. He met frequently with writers and intellectuals who are critical of the Syrian regime - and many of them attended his funeral.

"We came to pay our respects to a man who helped us in our battle for democracy," said Syrian writer Michel Kilo.

Others focused on Kassir as a symbol for Lebanese youth. "His words are a flame of light that will not die," said Tueini. "He is a martyr for the young people of Lebanon and their dream."