“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death you’re right to say it.”
Voltaire
“Monsieur l’abbé, I detest what you write, but I would give my life to make it possible for you to continue to write.”
Voltaire
I shall call it Hizb 2arraftouna. The slogan will be “7illo 3anna ba2a … badna n3eesh”
I shall call for a press conference on Saturday to announce the formation of this new hizb.
(For those who do not understand Arabic, I am starting a new political party called 2arraftouna, loosely meaning “you have sickened us” and the slogan loosely translate to “leave us alone already … we want to live”)
Also, I need a logo for the hizb, so I declare an open competition for who can design a logo for this new hizb. Competition ends Friday at midnight, Beirut time).
This is taken from Al-Massira magazine.
How did the crime happen ?
Sheikh Pierre woke up this morning and headed to commemorate the 63rd independance day by putting flowers on his grand father’s statute in Bekfaya and then was going to present his condoleances to the family of Hanna Dagher who lived behind the Mar Antonios garden in Jdeideh next to the Hekmeh school.
He had to pass by the Church to get to the house and was driving a Kia (# B 201881). He was accompanied by Samir Chartouni and another bodyguard from the Zeinoun family.
Pierre rarely used this car except for diversion and he didnt have any convoys with him.
At 3:40, loud noises were heard followed by what looked like an accident between two cars.
Later on it appeared that when Pierre’s car was around 50 meters away from the Church, a black Honda CRV passed by and fired at front left window with a ‘Mac’ or ‘Scorpio’ machine gun.
Pierre was hit as well as Shartouni, but he wasnt dead yet and tried to escape by speeding but hit the Honda jeep whose driver apparently stopped the car in front of Gemayel’s car on purpose, but Pierre still tried to go backwards and hit another Fiat car.
During this time, while the car was boxed, two men stepped down from the Honda and one fired heavily from the left side of the car while the other was shooting from the right side.
The Zeinoun guy who was sitting on the rear seat got out from the car and claimed his gun jammed and wasnt working, so he ran away to a near shop but the men still fired at him and injured a Syrian worker.
The killers ran away afterwards with the same Honda jeep that was waiting for them next to a gas station.
It is to note that the internal roads that link Jdeideh to Nahr el Mot, the ones the Honda could have taken, lead to Rwaisset el Jdeedeh or can take you back to the highway on both sides.
The whole incident lasted a bit more than 15 seconds, and after few civilians went down and realized it was Pierre, a Landrover discovery was stopped and drove the minister to Mar Youssef hospital.
And the rest is known.
Posted by Delirious:
“When you live in a country like Lebanon, this is how you plan your life:
You call your favorite restaurant and make reservations for dinner, after asking if they’ll be open tonight.
You consider the possibility you might not be able to make it due to any unexpected events that might unfold any time throughout the day.
You agree with your friends very seriously over the phone that you will meet at so and so place at 9 p.m… IF all goes well during the day.
You think it’s prudent not to make any plans for tomorrow… After all, it’s still very far away.
You do not even keep important stuff at work (papers and the like), because you do not know if you will be able to go there the next day.
Watching/listening/reading the news becomes part of the daily routine you perform without thinking, just like brushing your teeth or having your morning coffee.
…Got to go, breaking news on TV!!!”
I have been refraining from posting in regards to the current political situation since everyone was too emotional these past few days. I think it’s time I come out and speak.
1. I think it was wrong to come out and accuse Syria so quickly of assassinating Pierre. I also think it was wrong to come out and accuse the “Zionists” and I also think it was wrong to accuse anyone else (Geagea, the Americans, Jumblatt, etc.)
2. I hated the “rally” on Thursday. I understand the people went out there to support the March 14th movement, or call out for a true independance, etc. but I still thing it was wrong to exploit Pierre’s death to turn it into a rally.
3. I hated how the speakers came out to talk. I kept thinking “all-star” team. The way they were introduced before their speeches was ridiculous, and even more ridiculous was the way Saad Hariri walked out away from the bullet proof podium to salute the crowd, he reminded me of a boxer.
4. Why on earth have a bullet proof podium if you are all going to stand around the podium on the stage??
5. I hate how every rally turns out into a number competition.
6. I loved the funeral procession in Bikfaya. That is a true funeral procession.
7. My respect goes out to former President Amine Gemayel, who although seemed real weak and fragile remained strong.
8. I hated how rumors kept spreading around (eg. Amine didn’t shake hands with Berri: he DID).
9. Former President Amine Gemayel, requested on the night that Pierre was killed, that the night be full of prayer and requested for people not to create tensions. Some people on the other hand, preferred to burn tyres and garbage, to block roads, and burn posters of Aoun and co. Shameful.
Those 9 points (that I remember) are about the funeral and death of Pierre.
On Independance day, I was going to “write about how Lebanon isn’t close to being independent. I wanted to rant about how Lebanon has always been a pawn in a game of Risk played by the international powers. I wanted to rant by how the Lebanese are brainwashed by warlords and will never smell indenpendence as long as they follow them. I wanted to say so much, but not today.”
I honestly don’t have the energy to rant out right now, but I can say that I do not trust anyone on the “political ground” at the moment ( I felt like this before Pierre got killed).
I also want to comment about last night’s mass at the Maronite Church in Kuwait. The mass that took place is the usual timing for the Maronites mass in Kuwait, and Maronites include Lebanese and Syrians. Last night at the mass, Syrians and Lebanese were praying together for the soul of Pierre and additional attendees were FPMers from other sects (eg. Orthodox, Catholics, etc), as well as Muslim Sunnites and Shiites. The church was full. I hope Lebanese in Lebanon can become like the Lebanese abroad. We all seem to be sick of the situation in Lebanon and we do understand that a lot of the problems in Lebanon are created by external powers but what sickens us most is the Lebanese fighting amongst themselves. We are especially sick of the Christians in Lebanon who until today cannot make peace amongst themselves.
Rampurple is gonna wake and see this and probaby wanna kill me 
The Minis are here, Mini Tarboush (or Rass el Abed )… yummmmmm
I just came back from the demonstration, i didnt think we could make another March 14th, but i was proven more than wrong. Over a million easily were down there, the people kept coming till 2 pm from all regions and the roads of Beirut were all filled.
Today’s slogan was “We Love life“ , a slogan that expressed the feeling of all the Lebanese down there, sickened of living in fear of bombings and assasinations.
Lebanon mourned one of its young and brilliant leaders, and gave him a last goodbye worthy of kings. Sheikh Pierre will always be remembered as the Independance martyr & The Justice Martyr ..
Sincere Condoleances to the Gemayel family who lost another of its sons and the Chartouni family as well, but Our Cause will and must prevail as along as our people have the strong will and determination and unity that they showed today.
Words cannot covey what I feel right now nor what I am seeing.
I truly hope and pray to God that Sheikh Pierre Gemayel and Samir Chartouni will be the last martyrs ever in Lebanon. I doubt it but I do hope so.
No mother should lose her son in such an ugly manner. No father should have to bury his son. No sister should lose the protection of her brother. No child should lose their father.
The coffins have just reached the church. May we all pray for their souls and the soul of every man/woman/child who died under aggression.
I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord;
he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live;
and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.
I know that my Redeemer liveth,
and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth;
and though this body be destroyed, yet shall I see God;
whom I shall see for myself and mine eyes shall behold,
and not as a stranger.
For none of us liveth to himself,
and no man dieth to himself.
For if we live, we live unto the Lord.
and if we die, we die unto the Lord.
Whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.
Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord;
even so saith the Spirit, for they rest from their labors.
Yesterday me and N10452 were discussing today’s turnout. The two of us did not expect a turn out as large as todays.
N10452 left his home at 9:40am Beirut time.
I smsed him at 10:25am Beirut time telling him it looks like it will be a March 14th sequel.
At 10:56 am Beirut time he reached Achrafieh were he parked his car.
At 12:07pm Beirut time he smsed me to say “Indeed it is (March 14th sequel) I can confirm that now”
They just played Gebran’s Tueni famous March 14th Oath and everyone in the square replied to it just like on March 14th. I miss Gebran… I really do. A part of me wishes he was around today so I can hear him, hear his voice that comforts me, but a part of me is glad that he isn’t around to see this.
An old lady (not less than 80 years old) in a headscarf was waving his fist in the air and chanting with the youth around her. Makes you wonder what she is feeling in order for her to leave her home and go in such a tiresome “trip”.
I am actually shocked by the turnout so far. It’s 10:45am in Lebanon right now and from the way I see it on TV (You can watch LBC live on www.lbcgroup.tv) the turn out is huge! Can the amount of people reach the same number as March 14th? I always thought it was impossible to have another March 14th …
Cars have been going down to the Martyrs Square since the early morning and Sheikh Pierre’s convoy left Bekfaya at 9:30 am and will go through several spots in Matn before reaching Beirut.
This promises to be a big day, i urge everyone to go down and give Sheikh Pierre a memorial goodbye.
And by everyone, i mean everyone specially the Christians ..
It is unacceptable that FPMers dont attend the mass … i dont care whether Aoun is welcome or not, Fpmers must go.
I will be leaving now.
Another martyr falls in the most brutal and barbaric ways, another 14th of march leader, another young Lebanese leader, another Christian leader.
Sheikh Pierre Gemayel was shot dead in the middle of the day in a Christian city in the middle of the road and yet his criminals ran away. It is unthinkable that no one saw those men, no one saw followed them, no one took their cars pictures. Those criminals must be found at all price, even if it took a UN resolution to find them, we want the truth for his murder as much as we want it for Hariri’s murder.
Our leaders and young men and women have been the prime targets of the Syrian regime for over 25 years, we are losing our elites one after the other, our ‘quality’ leaders are getting killed and we still have no answer.
Some people are blaming Syria, others Israel and the US and others allow me to say stupidly accusing the government and 14th of march.
But we have to blame ourselves, us the people who started the Cedars Revolution, who went to the streets defying the invadors and the ‘dark’ forces and triumphed, we gave up this victory to our leaders who did not deliver as we expected, yet i refuse to blame them .. it is our fault first and foremost …
Tomorrow is Sheikh Pierre’s day, just like almost a year ago Gebran Tueni’s day, and before that Samir Kassir, and before it Rafiq Hariri and way before that Bashir Gemayel etc etc …
We are all frustrated, boiling from the inside, and we should all attend tomorrow’s mass, for Sheikh Pierre and all our martyrs only, not for the international tribunal and not for Lahoud .. just for Pierre.
Tomorrow, you will hear speeches from all 14th of march leaders, but its young leaders wont be there, Gebran Tueni wont be there and god knows how much we miss him.
Everytime someone dies, i tell myself it is not worthy even living in this country, but something inside keeps me attached, i rethink of Bashir and the thousands of martyrs who died for us to stay and i regain hope, but i dont know how many times i can do that.
I regained hope this time, and am waiting impatiently for tomorrow to see where the crowds will take us, the Party of Lebanon, as Gebran said, that will be regrouped in Martyrs’ square will decide to go.
R.I.P Sheikh Pierre Wou Sallemlna 3al Bashir wou 3ala Gebran wou kil chaheed.
The Lebanese Embassy in Kuwait will be accepting condolences for Sheikh Pierre Amine Gemayel on Thursday 23rd November, 2006 from 4pm until 8pm at the embassy.
The Maronite Church in Kuwait will be holding a mass on Friday 24th November, 2006 at 7pm in order to pray for the soul of Sheikh Pierre Amine Gemayel.
I had mentally prepared a post for today in regards to Independence Day but that was before Sheikh Pierre was assassinated.
I wanted to write about how Lebanon isn’t close to being independent. I wanted to rant about how Lebanon has always been a pawn in a game of Risk played by the international powers. I wanted to rant by how the Lebanese are brainwashed by warlords and will never smell indenpendence as long as they follow them. I wanted to say so much, but not today.
Today I mourn a death of a friend, a brother, a father, a son … I mourn the death of Sheikh Pierre Amin Gemayel
The following hymn makes me feel better: Fairouz Hymn
A song for the martyrs: Ya 3adra Al Ma3ounet
Sheikh Pierre placing flowers on his grandfather’s memorial in Bekfaya few hours before he died.
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