Collective Action
Protesters publicly shame Ziad Aswad with subsequent scuffle occurring
BEIRUT: For the second day in a row, Free Patriotic Movement MP Ziad Aswad was interrupted while enjoying dinner in an upscale eatery Wednesday evening.
A small number of protesters gathered in front of the Al Jazira Chez Louis restaurant in Jounieh, where Aswad was dining, the state-run National News agency reported.
Video footage of one protester being assaulted by an FPM supporter was widely circulated on social media.
“Are you from Tripoli? What did you come here to do?” said the supporter, while repeatedly punching the man in the face.
Another video showed a car with its windows smashed following the confrontations.
The FPM released a statement Thursday morning condemning the attack on the protester and denouncing any violent behavior that may have occurred.
The statement also said that “insulting politicians, their lives and their dignity is unacceptable,” adding that this can lead to “spontaneous reaction” from supporters.
Protesters had also gathered Tuesday evening in front of a restaurant in Antelias, where Aswad was dining.
“It’s not acceptable for them to live normal lives while the rest of the country collapses and we don’t have money,” one man told a reporter from the news channel Al-Jadeed at the time