BEIRUT: A scuffle broke out on Monday at the Beirut International and Arab Book Fair at the Seaside Arena after activists demanded the removal of displayed photographs of Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani. Activists including Shafiq Badr and Nelly Qandeel were called “Beirut Free, Iran Out!” was called After raising slogans, he was badly beaten up.
A giant picture of Soleimani was displayed in the pavilion of the book fair, which began last Thursday, angering social media activists and ridiculing the exhibition as the “Tehran Book Fair”.
A squad of the Intelligence Wing of the Internal Security Force later reached the spot and launched an investigation after several other activists were united.
Badr is part of the “Lebanese Rise Up” group, while Qandeel is part of the “Lebanese Sovereign Opposition” group.
The book fair, organized by the Arab Cultural Club, was launched in its 63rd season under the slogan “Beirut cannot be broken” after a forced hiatus of three years due to the economic crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic and the explosion of Beirut. Port. ,
Traditionally, the exhibition takes place every year in January, which has confused some of the participating publishing houses.
Ninety Lebanese publishing houses – from Syria and Egypt and 10 from Iran – are participating in the exhibition.
Activists circulated photographs of books displayed in participating pavilions, which saw a large number of books featuring photographs of Soleimani and other Iranian figures. The scene seemed enough to criticize the exhibition and dig into the political sensibility that Soleimani represents in Iranian politics and his enmity in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, especially since Hezbollah has been carrying Soleimani’s photos at every opportunity. is willing to. Soleimani’s photographs have also been put up at Beirut airport and the road leading to South and Bekaa.
Meanwhile, the Arab Publishers Association missed the exhibition. Due to the diplomatic and economic crisis between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, the permanent audience of the exhibition “radicalised its pavilions and books amid the absence of Gulf publishing houses, which were present in each edition of the exhibition as a kind of support”. ” change”. And several Gulf countries.
According to activists and eyewitnesses, protests broke out in Iranian pavilions two days ago, when the exhibition hosted a concert. “People entered the place and shouted against the loud sound of the music,” said a girl attending the concert.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati said during the opening of the exhibition last Thursday that “this is one of many pillars to immunize the Lebanese and Arab people against patterns alien to our nature, culture, traditions and heritage, which we cherish.” Huh.”
Former judge Ashraf Rifi said in a tweet that “Sulaimani’s image at the exhibition is a blasphemy to the Lebanese people shaken by the Iranian occupation,” and whoever puts it up “wants to threaten Lebanese, but the Lebanese youth is against him.” Is stronger. This ego.”
MP Fouad Makhzoumi said: “Even the Beirut Book Fair has not survived Hezbollah, which is working to portray this ancient cultural destination with an Iranian identity and ideology of death.” Which has nothing to do with Beirut’s Arabism, its coexistence and diversity.”
Deteriorating living conditions in Lebanon reflect a decline in book purchases at the fair. Some publishers said that “the demand for books in libraries has dropped by as much as 70 percent.”
“Any book worth at least $10, that is, more than 200,000 Lebanese pounds,” Mona Ismail, one of the visitors to the permanent exhibition, told Arab News, “I am very tempted to participate in the show, but at the same time It will affect me financially.”
This year, according to one of its curators, the Arab Cultural Club rented out pavilions at reduced prices to encourage publishers to offer discounts to subscribers. However, the high prices of books are due to the high cost of publishing and printing supplies, all of which are paid for in dollars when publishers sell their books in Lebanese liras.