“We have fought for Lebanon, but we did not kill anyone, and we did not assassinate anyone, and we do not have blood on our hands,” said Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun.

Speaking from behind bullet-proof glass at an Achrafieh election rally, Aoun responded to his critics with just over a week until the parliamentary elections, saying, “They accused us of insulting the president, but they do not say how we are doing this. They say that I want to establish the Third Republic, but in 1990s the Third Republic was already established. It is a state that is built on corruption, which should be changed and reformed. They said that they want to restore the rights of Achrafieh. But they have ruled for 18 years. Why have they not done this yet?” he told the crowd in a reference to the current majority.

“We are dealing with ignorant people who want continuous war,” he added. “We should put an end to the current ruling majority, because if they were able they would have reformed the state, but they do not have the capability or the intention. If you want to build Lebanon properly, no one in the majority should be reelected. We will not sell our conscience in the slave market.”

In a series of attacks against his Christian opponents, Aoun asked why those who assassinated then-president-elect Bachir Gemayel in 1982 were not prosecuted when his brother, former president and current Kataeb leader Amin Gemayel, ruled the country. “Those who were killed in Achrafieh were victims of a war in which the Lebanese Forces were involved.”

“We should overcome the past and look forward to the future,” Aoun told the crowds. “But we will not forget the crimes, and we will not forget the criminals. They should quit public service and politics. Those who have harmed the freedom and independence of Lebanon are not welcome.”

“I swear by the sky, whatever its color, that Syria is not coming back,” he added. 

-NOW Staff