Lebanon's government quits as anti-Syria protests swell

So far, the protests have remained peaceful. Indeed, the most striking element of the demonstrations is the diverse array of participants, from students to bankers. They also cross sectarian lines, as well, with Christian Maronites rubbing shoulders with Sunni Muslims and Druze. "We have removed the mask of fear. We are not afraid anymore," says Fadi Romanos, who runs an insurance company in Beirut.

It took Sami Nasrallah over three hours to reach Martyrs' Square from his village of Qaa in the northern Bekaa Valley. "This is the real Lebanese spirit," he says, gesturing at the cheering throng.

But it takes more than popular sentiment to maintain the demonstrations. Working behind the scenes are hundreds of young activists representing the main opposition groups. They meet several times each day to plan their next moves.

"We will continue these demonstrations every day until we reach our goal. The goal of all Lebanese is a free and sovereign country," says Michel de Chadarevian, an official with the Free Patriotic Front, a political movement headed by Michel Aoun, a former Lebanese Army commander who has lived in exile in Paris since leading a failed uprising against Syrian forces in Lebanon in 1990.

Activists from Hariri's Tayyar al-Mustaqbal (Tide of the Future) movement have been churning out posters of the slain former premier, along with stickers shaped as a black ribbon with the word "Truth" written in English. Other groups are printing banners with "Independence '05."

Activists are using text messaging over mobile phones to spread the word of any last-minute changes to demonstrations and to subvert roadblocks and security forces. This technique was used successfully in the Philippines in 2001 to quickly organize the mass demonstrations that brought down President Joseph Estrada.

On Sunday night, Lebanese Interior Minister Suleiman Frangieh announced a ban on all demonstrations. His decision came after government supporters said they would hold a rally at the same time and place as the opposition gathering, prompting concerns that the encounter could turn violent.

While government loyalists observed the ban, the opposition supporters defied the presence of hundreds of troops and riot police to gather in Martyrs' Square.

Throughout the morning, thousands more demonstrators converged on the city center, turning nearby streets into a surging sea of red and white flags.

The streets around the parliament building were sealed tight; only politicians attending the parliamentary debate were allowed through. Several thousand protesters began building up at one of the main roads leading to the square as soldiers and police stood behind coils of barbed wire. Protesters sang the national anthem and joked with soldiers. Others threw rose petals over the soldiers and called out "the Army are our brothers and stand by us and not against us."

• Wire material was used in this report.

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