{"id":41596,"date":"2019-11-16T16:22:19","date_gmt":"2019-11-16T16:22:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=41596"},"modified":"2019-11-16T16:22:19","modified_gmt":"2019-11-16T16:22:19","slug":"iraq-officials-protesters-surge-toward-baghdads-green-zone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=41596","title":{"rendered":"Iraq officials: Protesters surge toward Baghdad\u2019s Green Zone"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\nBEIRUT: A majestic phoenix spreads its wings as Hayat Nazer adds a splash of color to a Beirut wall. As Lebanon\u2019s uprising enters its second month, graffiti has enveloped the capital\u2019s posh downtown.
Since October 17, the chanting of tens of thousands of Lebanese denouncing the political elite have shaken the normally staid district around two Beirut squares \u2014 Martyrs\u2019 and Riad Al-Solh.
Nazer, a 32-year-old artist, is one of the protesters who would not normally frequent the area, famed for luxury boutiques and elegant buildings. But the unprecedented protests also offered her a first experience with street art.
\u201cI decided to go out in the street to be inspired by the people,\u201d she said during a cigarette break, standing next to pots of red, green and yellow paint.
Then she turned to place the final brushstroke on the mythical bird emerging from a burning forest \u2014 a reference to the fires that ravaged Lebanon\u2019s mountains shortly before the protests began.
\u201cThe phoenix reminds us that the Lebanese shouldn\u2019t lose hope. When we fall, we need to rise up and fly to freedom, to claim our rights,\u201d she said.
The long concrete barrier Nazer was painting protects a United Nations building, but has been named the \u201cwall of the revolution\u201d for the graffiti adorning it.
A ballerina pirouettes under shells, accompanied by the slogan \u201cRise up.\u201d Further down, a big purple hand flashes a V for victory.
On nearby buildings, various causes are championed with spray-painted and stenciled slogans: \u201cOur revolution is feminist\u201d; \u201cLGBT rights, love is not a crime\u201c; and \u201cWe will burn your palaces.\u201d
Political leaders are lampooned in caricature, including outgoing Prime Minister Saad Hariri, longstanding parliament speaker Nabih Berri, and central bank governor Riad Salameh.
The contrast is striking compared with the nearby opulence of a district that was controversially rebuilt after being ravaged during the 1975-1990 civil war.
Today a Rolex clock tower stands in front of a parliament cordoned off by security forces. Working-class souks have been replaced by a modern commercial center, home to banks and French luxury brands.
The reconstruction of the district, famed for its stone buildings in neo-Venetian and neo-Moorish style, was led by Solidere, the real estate company of billionaire former prime minister Rafiq Hariri.
Its detractors say the project killed the soul of a formerly vibrant neighborhood in order to attract Gulf investment and wealthy tourists.
\u201cThis city has become an icon of capitalism,\u201d said artist and rights activist Selim Mawad.
He jumped onto a plastic barricade to retouch a mural of stylized bulls alongside the slogan: \u201cWhat is the future of our revolution?\u201d
Lebanon\u2019s uprising \u2014 like protests elsewhere in the Middle East and Latin America \u2014 is both political and social.
\u201cIt\u2019s also about personal liberation, which is the foundation of a revolution,\u201d Mawad said.
He sees symbolism in graffiti.
\u201cPeople say, \u2018I can\u2019t touch this building, I can\u2019t live there, so I\u2019ll leave my mark on it\u2019,\u201d the paint-spattered artist said.
One day, assailants attacked the protesters in the area where Mawad was painting his mural. He was beaten and his bicycle stolen.
\u201cGive back the stolen money \u2014 and don\u2019t forget the bike,\u201d he later painted next to a picture of a bull brandishing a red bicycle.
He hopes the paintings will be preserved. \u201cIt\u2019s the memory of an uprising. If they erase them, we will forget.\u201d
Nearby, Rida Mawla left a meeting and decided to take a walk in the city center, something he said he never previously did.
\u201cI\u2019m starting to feel like downtown is a bit more like me,\u201d the business consultant said.
\u201cIn theory it\u2019s the place where everyone should meet, but the ruling class has taken possession of it,\u201d he said.
He pointed out his favorite graffiti, a big black tag scrawled on a wall: \u201cBeirut has spoken.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BEIRUT: A majestic phoenix spreads its wings as Hayat Nazer adds a splash of color to a Beirut wall. As Lebanon\u2019s uprising enters its second month, graffiti has enveloped the capital\u2019s posh downtown.Since October 17, the chanting of tens of thousands of Lebanese denouncing the political elite have shaken the normally staid district around two…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":41597,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle_east_news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41596","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=41596"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41596\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/41597"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=41596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=41596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=41596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}