Lords of the Ring

There are still people downtown that night . It's past 8 p.m., I'm tired. The kilometers swallowed earlier are added to those of the previous days. I lie down on the sidewalk, alongside Lazarieh. A few minutes later, I see a small procession pass a little lower, near the great mosque, then turn right to go up towards Bechara el-Khoury. It sings, it screams, it chants. I get up, put my bag back on my shoulders and start running to catch up with the little band and get ahead of it to take a few more photos. I finally spent the whole evening there
The procession runs along the Ring and tumbles in front of Borj el-Ghazal. The crowd grows very quickly, the police are there in force but first of all keep away. The demonstrators choose their slogans, “Selmiyeh, selmiyeh, selmiyeh!”, They proclaim themselves pacifists. A sit-in is organized, everyone sits down. But the tension begins to rise. The police are more pressing. First little scramble.

The songs continue, the special forces arrive. In front of the large building (ex-BNPI), a police cordon begins to surround the demonstrators who are camping in their positions. Invariably, the crowd calls out to the members of the police, telling them that it is for them too, for the whole people, that they are demonstrating
When the police cordon (basic version) gives way to riot police, with shells and shields. On the demonstrators side, the slogan is clear: women take power, get up and come and settle in the front line in front of the local CRS. Always in joy, always with a smile
Among the different bodies of the forces of order, the wills diverge. Some want to obey orders - evacuate the crowd and reopen traffic at the Ring level - others refuse because they do not want to knock on the population

The tension is still rising. Suddenly the police charge. The seated demonstrators try to get up too quickly, the crush is terrible, some take batons, This first wave is repelled, then followed by a second
I stare at this woman carrying a flag five times the size of her. She screams, her voice already broken. His nerves give way, the one I imagine to be his sister takes refuge in his arms. Tension is contagious. The two young women crack
After a few minutes of abuse, the police began to take a step back. They seem to have been ordered not to do more

For a few seconds, the demonstrators observe the police leaving them the field. Some remain a little haggard following the charges with shields and batons. Others embrace. Those seconds of waiting are strange. The police then took refuge further up the Ring. The cries of victory begin!
The tension finally falls, the demonstrators rejoice. While some sing and dance, others reinstall tents and sofas, or sweep the asphalt. Very quickly, the breeze blocks and barriers from the neighboring site were used to erect a new barricade. The demonstrators savor their victory. The Borj el-Ghazal crossroads will be theirs again this evening