Thousands demonstrate in support of Lebanon’s president

BEIRUT — Thousands of people are marching to show their support for Lebanon’s president and his proposed political reforms.

The demonstration near Michel Aoun’s presidential palace in southeastern Beirut comes after more than two weeks of widespread anti-government demonstrations.

Another such anti-government protest is scheduled for later today in central Beirut. These demonstrations have united people from the country’s many religious sects and factions against the political class.

Those leaders have ruled Lebanon since the 1975-1990 civil war, and are widely seen as having tanked the economy.

Aoun, one of the main targets of the protesters’ anger, gave a speech late Thursday proposing that Lebanon should move away from the decades-old sectarian political system. He said the country is at a “dangerous crossroads.”

— AP