The National Bloc: October 17 A Founding Moment in The History of Lebanon

The October 17 uprising that erupted on Lebanon’s streets three years ago aimed at overthrowing the corrupt ruling regime constitutes a foundational moment in the Lebanese political conscience, as the majority of people unanimously at "a moment" rejected the political, security and economic reality produced by the civil war.

It is true that the historic moment has witnessed a regression due to socio-economic compounding crises aggravated by the Beirut Port explosion and the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. It is also true that the balance of power was not in favor of the opposition, which has not actually succeeded in transforming popular simmering resentment into a clear political project against the "Six Club’s gang " and their allies in Lebanon’s central bank and other banking institutions. It is also true that "Hezbollah" has vehemently defended the regime and used its political and military influence to stifle the October 17 revolution.

Today, as a fierce opposition to this system, we must take advantage of past mistakes to create well-organized modern political parties, capable of transforming the moment of popular simmering resentment into a real opportunity to impose a political vision that unites all Lebanese unexceptionally.

What we need most are parties that break sectarian chains in multiple ways possible so that defending Lebanon’s sovereignty do not stay under the control of sectarian forces, and the demands to end sectarianism are no longer monopolized by ideological parties. What we need most are parties that reconcile the discourse of change with the Lebanese identity, pulling it out from preset ideological and populist molds.

May 25, 2000, March 14, 2005, and October 17, 2019 are founding moments in the history of Lebanon, on the path to state building.

Today we remember the unforgettable moment of the October 17 uprising, not to remain prisoners of the past, but to prepare together for a moment when all the Lebanese people will gather once again to break the civil war system… forever and ever.