2013 was a dark year for social activism in Beirut, in which disillusionment, fear, and apathy prevailed, where calls to demonstrate were met with few boots on the ground. It was a stark difference to the energy and hopes that existed only a handful of years before, and where large demonstrations for various issues resonated strongly with the public. What happened?
On February 27, 2011, hundreds of Lebanese from an array of political and social backgrounds took to the streets of Beirut to protest the sectarian system that dominates the country. A month later, the campaign reached its zenith; thousands participated and the expectations of change were high.
What first seemed the start of a new era for Lebanese society rapidly collapsed onto itself. Anti-sectarian marches in 2012 fell far below the numbers seen in 2011. By 2013, the anti-sectarian movement was simply comatose.
But it was not only the anti-sectarian movement that stagnated.