Higgins evacuated from Beirut over fears for security
President forced to cut short visit after anti-government protests
PRESIDENT Michael D Higgins and Minister for Defence Paul Kehoe were evacuated from the Lebanese capital Beirut by helicopter yesterday because of fears for their safety after protests broke out across the volatile region.
The pair were trapped in their hotel last Thursday night when angry demonstrators on motorbikes surrounded the building which usually hosts Lebanon’s wealthy elite.
The Lebanese army formed a ring of steel around the hotel to protect the Irish dignitaries who had travelled to the region to meet Irish troops in UN peacekeeping camps.
The nationwide protests forced the Irish delegation to curtail their schedule, and after the protest outside the hotel, it was decided that they should return to Ireland. Security chiefs decided that the delegation should be taken by helicopter to Beirut airport as demonstrations had resulted in several road closures.
Yesterday afternoon, Mr Higgins and Mr Kehoe, along with their officials, were driven by armoured cars to a helicopter landing pad a couple of hundred metres from their hotel and brought to the airport before flying home.
The five-star Phoenicia Hotel was forced to issue a statement after the protest stating that there were no Lebanese politicians in the building. “Further to the news circulating on social media platforms regarding last night’s protests in the city, Phoenicia Hotel deny that parliament members or ministers are residing at the property,” the hotel said.
Video footage showed hundreds of protesters on motorbikes and mopeds confronting Lebanese soldiers outside the building. Protests continued to rage in the streets near the hotel on Friday night.
On Thursday, an official visit to UN posts where Irish soldiers are based was cancelled owing to security concerns. However, Mr Higgins and Mr Kehoe did visit At Tiri where they met soldiers of the 114th Infantry Battalion.
The protests, which saw tens of thousands of people take to the streets, were sparked by a Lebanese government plan to put a tax on WhatsApp phone calls. However, the tax was dropped following the angry public backlash.
Yesterday demonstrators gathered outside government buildings and called for the release of protesters who had been arrested.
Protesters have come from a cross-section of Lebanese society and include people of all ages, religions and race. The protests have been compared to the Arab Spring uprising which swept across the Middle East in 2011.
Lebanese security officials said 52 police officers were injured and 70 protesters were arrested on Friday.