October Revolution
"For Lebanon Only" Movement
On September 28, 2019, UFL started the "For Lebanon Only" movement to lay the ground for the October revolution. The action intends to make it easier for individuals involved in civil society and the rest of the Lebanese people to coordinate effectively. It addresses the root causes of the country's persistent and rampant corruption at all levels. The following is the movement's road map:
Title and Purpose:
"For Lebanon Only" was meant to prioritize the needs of Lebanon and its citizens above all other considerations. The Movement called for civil disobedience as the primary pressure tool for achieving a set of goals listed below.
Goals:
- Resignation of the Lebanese President and Prime Minister.
- Limiting government actions to only day-to-day necessary procedures.
- Calling for early parliamentary elections after preparing a modern and representative election law, within six months.
- Amending and activating the Supreme Council for the trial of Presidents and Ministers by principles and rules, ensuring that no one is excluded from accountability.
- • Requesting the United Nations to oversee the democratic transition and verify its integrity.
Mechanism:
Encouraging all Lebanese, particularly the free and sincere activists, to support this initiative. Calling on people to join forces and establish an operation room for coordination and follow-up. Announcing a hotline and a support team of lawyers, media specialists, and others all over Lebanon to ensure the successful implementation of civil disobedience. Embracing the need for dialogue as to the adoption of necessary pressure means for targeting corrupt figures rather than acts of sabotage against public and private property.
Smallville Meetings
A series of meetings took place between November 30, 2019, and January 31, 2020, at The Smallville Hotel in Beirut's Mathaf area for various participants in the October 2019 uprising. The purpose was to promote dialogue and unity among participants, especially after a prevailing state of division and disagreement.
The discussions led to the following roadmap steps:
- Conduct a proper assessment of the rebellion's strengths, weaknesses, and challenges.
- Assessing the government's methods and tools of containment of the uprising.
- Finding ways to unite civil society leaders to form a national rescue front.
- Promoting the idea of forming a shadow government, or even a transitional one if necessary.
- Creating the proper channels of communication and interaction with active groups and individuals for the sake of joining forces.