Lebanonwire.com | Thousands attend funeral of assassinated Lebanese politician

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June 24, 2005

Thousands attend funeral of assassinated Lebanese politician

BEIRUT, Lebanon - A crowd of some 20,000 people attended the funeral Friday of a Lebanese politician whose murder has raised fears that a "hit list" against anti-Syrian figures in Lebanon could produce even more victims.

Five top political figures, each of whom has lost someone dear to assassination, sat in the front pew of St George's Greek Orthodox church to mourn ex-Communist party chief George Hawi, who was killed in a car bomb attack on Tuesday.

The widow of slain journalist Samir Kassir, an anti-Syrian writer who died when a bomb exploded in his car earlier this month, was also in attendance.

White candles encircled Hawi's coffin, which was covered in a Lebanese flag and rested near the altar.

"Yesterday resembles today," said Rafie Madayan, Hawi's adopted son, in a speech after the mass.

"On June 4, George Hawi and I attended the funeral mass for Samir (Kassir) in this church. I would have never imagined that 20 days later I would be speaking here, despites all the precautions he took against the dangers that are confronting Lebanon, which finds itself at democracy's door," he said.

Among the those in church were many parliamentaryt deputies, communist activists and sympathisers paying homage to the anti-Syrian opposition leader.

In the front row sat former head of state Amin Gemayel and his sister-in-law Solange, respectively the brother and widow of ex-president Bashir Gemayel, who was assassinated in 1982; Nayla Mouawad, widow of the the first post-war president in Lebanon, who was killed in 1989; Saad Hariri, son of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, who was killed in a February bomb attack; and Druze chief Walid Jumblatt whose father, Kamal, was assassinated in 1977.

Also attending the funeral service were the ambassadors from France, Britain and Russia, three countries that along with the United States condemned the assassination.

Western countries have echoed fears voiced by anti-Syrian Lebanese that the wave of assassinations will continue, as part of an attempt by Damascus to destabilise the country.

Lebanon recently completed its first parliamentary election in nearly three decades free from Syrian military presence, following a pullout by Syrian troops in April, and the vote produced a majority anti-Syrian legislature.

Prior to the mass, thousands of people, some carrying Lebanese flags and Communist party flags bearing the hammer and sickle, joined the funeral procession.

"Assassinated in the name of democracy," red-colored banners carried in the procession read.

Led by four priests, the masses moved through the streets of the capital to the church in the city centre.

People threw rose petals at the large black car transporting the body of Hawi, whom many called a "martyr."