Editor's Note: Karim is a special
correspondent for the Counterterrorism Blog (he
posted on July 24) and is currently in Lebanon.
Hezbollah's staged mini-demonstration in the southern
suburb of Beirut has been exposed by unauthorized media
footage. During a visit to the Hezbollah former "security
square," destroyed during the war with Israel, UN Secretary
General Kofi Annan was greeted by a prepared crowd of
Hezbollah militants. Accompanied by Lebanese Prime Minister
Fuad Seniora, Dr. Annan was escorted by Lebanese Army security,
apparently very friendly with Hezbollah Department of Security.
The Lebanese Army officers and Hezbollah were seen smiling at
each other and coordinating the staged demonstration. A camera
linked to an international media agency was broadcasting live
from behind the Hezbollah's security lines. It captured the
details of the "show." A group of women and girls, in
traditional Muslim dresses and scarves were gathered by
Hezbollah bearded security some 15 minutes before the
motorcade arrives. The gathering was at about 30 feet away
from where Annan's car was supposed to stop. This indicates
that the motorcade security and the Hezbollah operatives knew
ahead of time where the spot would be and had the women
standing and waiting. Posters of Hassan Nasrallah were then
distributed to the women. The camera showed a group of bearded
men standing few meters behind the first line of women as a "second
brigade." Then the camera showed the group of women tightening
their positioning while few men with hats and "talkies"
positioned themselves behind the women and started shouting
orders: "Clap when Annan gets out of the car," they screamed
to the women. The latter complied with "passion," raising the
posters of Nasrallah. "Boo when Seniora appears," the
Hezbollah's operators shouted. A huge boo was produced, not
only by the women, but also by the men standing behind them.
Read More »
As the UN delegation approached the group walking, the women
screamed the name of Nasrallah and behind them couple men
screamed "down, down, USA" (especially when the
international media appeared). As soon as the officials
walked farther, and as in a choreographed play, the women
dispersed themselves opening the path for the militiamen
looking males to rush behind the delegation walking through
the ruins. Responding to orders barked form inside the
group, the mens' "demo" got loud and slogans were shouted
with greater energy and menace. Interestingly, and since the
camera was filming live from behind and feeding it to
satellite around the world, observers were able to "see" the
whole operation to its most detailed developments. The last
security men of the UN delegation facing the following crowd
were smiling at the security cadres of Hezbollah and keeping
the exact distance needed for the shouting to be heard and
for the international cameras to film the delegation
surrounded by angry people, hoping the sympathizing
translators and editors would make the right comments on
BBC, CNN, and of course on al Jazeera, and by the next
morning, the right articles will be printed in the New York
Times, the Guardian and Le Monde. The show got even more
detailed, as the camera was feeding the footage live and raw,
when a Hezbollah militiaman screamed at a media cameraman
who had climbed onto rubbles to have a bigger view of the
crowd and the whole picture. The Hezbollah operatives, along
with a security man from the Lebanese Army rushed to remove
the cameraman from where he was, which was logical, as he
could have filmed the staging machine and more importantly
the "size" of the demonstration. Back to the demonstration:
the Lebanese state-security elements were telling the
Hezbollah fellows, "tameem, azeem," (very good, excellent).
The "commissaries" behind the lines of the males were
changing the slogans from "Long live Nasrallah" to "Down
with the US." In a few minutes, the delegation headed back
to the cars, Kofi Annan apparently impressed with the "people's
voice." When the convoy left, the men and women of
Hezbollah's demonstration vanished leaving regular
bystanders to themselves. Interestingly as well, whenever
the camera showed a journalist, especially with cameras, a
Hizbollah militiaman was just few feet away.
August 28, 2006 05:35 PM Link
Andrew Cochran
Co-Editor, The Counterterrorism Blog
http://counterterrorismblog.org
Co-Chairman, The Counterterrorism Foundation
http://counterterrorismblog.org/foundation.php
