DUBAI, 17 July 2006 — Dozens of Lebanese youth gathered in front of the MBC and Al-Arabiya television channels in Dubai Media City on Saturday night, waving Lebanese flags and chanting the Lebanese national anthem in a show of solidarity with their motherland.
Holding up Lebanon’s national flag and denouncing the violence in Lebanon, Reem T. Bashar, an IT specialist who works in Dubai Internet City, said: “We sympathize with our brothers. We are only able to do it this way.”
Mahmoud Baz, another protester, said: “My country is in pain and our people are dying.”
Earlier in the day, a crowd of 200 people including women and children held a one-hour peaceful rally in front of the Lebanese Consulate in Dubai.
SMS messages were sent to people in Dubai, urging them to voice their support by gathering outside the consulate at 6 p.m. Demonstrators had planned to enter the consulate and meet the consul-general to lodge protests but were stopped by police personnel.
A candle-lit vigil had also been planned at sunset but was canceled after police asked the protesters to disperse.
Extra Flights
Qatar Airways is to operate two additional flights to Damascus today. Since last Thursday, Qatar Airways has been operating additional flights between Doha and Damascus carrying more than 1,500 passengers from Damascus airport to Doha.
Due to the closure of the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Qatar Airways flights between Doha and Beirut remained canceled. Passengers booked on Qatar Airways to and from Beirut were advised to contact their local Qatar Airways office or travel agent for further updates.
