In a remarkable initiative and for the first time in the history of Lebanon, protesters organized on Sunday a human chain linking the country's north to its south across its coastal line, in a solidarity and unified stand for the sake of the nation and a brighter future for its people.
In this context, citizens from the Metn region took part in the human chain called for by activists in the civil movement under the slogan "Hand-in-Hand", which began at 1 pm today from Tripoli in the north, passing through the coastal highway, far-reaching Tyre in the south, as an expression of the people's unity and their joint demands, and in a message to officials to emphasize the peaceful sit-in and coexistence between participants from different regions and communities.
The coast of Metn was part of this human chain, where a large number of participants flocked to the assembly points holding Lebanese flags, chanting the national anthem and joining their hands together on the eastern route of the highway stretching from Dbayeh, through Antelias, Jal el Dib and Jdeideh, far-reaching Dora.
Residents of the Keserwan area gathered in three main stations: Nahr al-Kalb, Zouk Mosbeh and Ghazir, where they joined hands to complete the human chain that ran from south to north.
Protesters also joined hands together along the Chekka highway, in close ranks that extended north towards the entrance of the town of Anfeh in the Koura district.
In Byblos, demonstrators began to flock to the sit-in square on the Jbeil highway, blocked by earth mounds, to participate in the human chain and to join hands together. Protesters carried Lebanese flags and stressed that they will maintain their sit-in until the people's demands are met. They reiterated their gratitude to the Lebanese army for protecting them, and the security forces for regulating traffic along the seaside road.
At Qalhat-Koura Highway, protesters gathered at Balamand Junction to take part in this historical event, raising the Lebanese flags, wearing white shirts and holding flowers.
The people of Kfarabida also participated in the human chain, joining hands to link their sit-in square to that of Batroun on the highway.
In Akkar, the human chain reached its peak in al-Abdeh Square, the focal point on the main road that connects the Sheikh Taba point to the north and the Muhamara point, south of Akkar. The number of participants was estimated at around 8,000, including school students and young men and women from the various towns of Akkar, who flocked from their villages and towns by buses to the designated gathering points, carrying Lebanese flags and chanting slogans in support of the popular movement.
Thousands of young men, women, children and students from Tripoli joined hands to form a human chain stretching from the city of Tripoli to the city of Qalamoun, raising Lebanese flags and carrying roses, and wearing white shirts to symbolize the peacefulness of their revolution.
Large numbers of citizens in the upper Metn and Aley region also participated in today's human chain, as protesters gathered on the Aley roundabout along the international road and then headed by buses and cars towards Beirut.
In the capital, Beirut, citizens rallied sequentially from the St. George area to the Ain Mreisseh and Rauche promenade and to the Ramlet al-Bayda Corniche, joining hands together, far-reaching the "Coral Beach" in the Jnah area, amid security measures by the army and internal security forces.
The participants carried the Lebanese flags and waved their hands, chanting the national anthem and national songs, as cars and motorcycles were flying the Lebanese flags and shouting supportive slogans to the civil movement. Demonstrators stopped in front of the residence of MP Jamil al-Sayyid, where his security men saluted the participants by distributing sweets to them.
In Khaldeh, protesters, carrying the Lebanese flag blocked the road under the Khaldeh triangle and turned it into a single lane along the bridge, setting-up a long human chain extending from the Khaldeh Bridge to al-Naameh.
In the South, the city of Sidon participated actively in the human chain stretched from Tripoli to Tyre, where participants lined up along the city's seafront promenade, wearing white shirts, joining hands and carrying a large Lebanese flag, as they chanted the national anthem.
In Tyre, protesters at al-Alam Square joined the human chain at the northern Corniche of Tyre, adjacent to al-Alam Square, the place of the protest.
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