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On October 25, enraged shop owners in the Hizbullah stronghold of Dahieh, Beirut, protested against Hassan Nasrallah following the demolition of their roadside shops for building violations. Demonstrators blocked the road and burned tires in what the Al-Jadeed/New TV reporter called an "intifada of sorts." A day later, the protesters were back, apologizing before the cameras and pledging allegiance to Nasrallah. "We are beneath the sole of your shoe," said one former protester, and another begged Nasrallah to send him to Syria with the mujahideen to show the sincerity of his apology.
Reporter: "The shop owners and the people here are still enraged, after the security forces destroyed five shops at dawn. These shops had been built on the sidewalk here..."
Off screen: "Not on the sidewalk..."
Reporter: "Sorry, the roadside..."
Off screen: "There's no road here..."
Reporter: "The security forces destroyed these shops this morning. The shops were destroyed with all the merchandise inside, and this caused a lot of anger."
[...]
Man 1: "They showed up at night, destroyed the shops and ran away, like dogs or little chicks. Hassan Nasrallah bears responsibility. You told the people of proud Dahieh to hold our heads high, and you are responsible for what has happened.
[...]
"At one time, Hassan Nasrallah placed posters on the highways, saying that his security forces are the people's alternative. What kind of alternative is this, with all the destruction? You have ruined us. You say one thing and do another. Hassan Nasrallah, you're now in debt to me and to my children. We raise our children to offer them to you as martyrs. This is all your fault, Hassan Nasrallah.
[...]
"[Nasrallah] sent his terrorist group – which is like the shabiha militia of the [Syrian] regime – at four in the morning, and they destroyed our livelihood. $500,000 are gone. I swear by Allah, I've invested $500,000 in this place. I worked 20 years, day and night, to build this. If I don't get the money back, Hassan Nasrallah owes me."
[...]
Reporter: "The shops, built from metal plates, are not new. They were built years ago and sold clothes and one-dollar accessories. But their demolition ignited the atmosphere at Al-Sulum neighborhood, and dozens of people took to the streets, blocked the road, and burned tires."
Woman 1: "May Allah afflict you with disaster. You yourselves are a disaster. You have brought disaster upon the Dahieh and you have caused yourselves a headache. We were not harming anyone. We put up posters of Nasrallah and Michel Aoun. We say to President [Aoun]: Don't bring your reforms here."
[...]
Woman 2: "We suffer because of the Syrian [refugees]. If they get them out of here, we will be perfectly fine. We don't want any foreigners."
Reporter: "This destruction is connected to the Syrians?"
Woman 2: "Of course."
Reporter: "The rage that began at dawn quickly turned into an Intifada of sorts against the political parties active in the area."
Man 2: "Hizbullah has abandoned us."
Woman 3: "All the Lebanese raise their sons for 17 years, and then send them to fight and wage jihad in another country. And now Hizbullah, the state, and the municipality are doing this to us?"
Woman 1: "Hizbullah is responsible for this – Hizbullah and Amal."
Man 3: "This is the act of lowlifes. Shame on their vileness. To hell with the state and with the political parties! Sorry for saying this on TV."
Man 4: "They started with the Dahieh, and tomorrow they'll move elsewhere. I don't want to talk about sectarianism, but they've pitted the Sunnis against the Shiites and made us fear each other."
On-screen text: "The following day..."
Ali Chamas: "My name is Ali Chamas. From beneath the sole of your shoe, sayyed Nasrallah, I apologize for my affront. I also apologize to all the people of the resistance. I apologize to the men of the resistance in Syria. Honorable sayyed, as a sign of the sincerity of my apology, I beg you to send me to Syria with the mujahideen, so that I can be in the frontline of the jihad in Syria. From underneath the sole of your shoe, I beg forgiveness, honorable sayyed. We respond to your call, oh Nasrallah! We respond to your call, oh Nasrallah! We respond to your call, oh Nasrallah! This entire livelihood of ours, sayyed Nasrallah – as we said, are still saying, and will continue to say – is not worth the sole of your shoe. We are ready for whatever you need. We are the bullet in your gun. We respond to your call, oh Nasrallah! We respond to your call, oh Nasrallah!"
Man 1: "We apologize to sayyed Nasrallah. We are beneath the sole of his shoe. We will do whatever he tells us. His honor and dignity is our honor and dignity. He speaks for us, and he can forgive us. We apologize to him from the bottom of our hearts. Our children are under his shoe. It's just that they destroyed our livelihood... He should take care of us and set things right."
[...]
Woman 1: "I apologize to you from the rooftops. You are the crown on our heads.
[...]
"We know who our enemy is. The road to Jerusalem is our road. As we always say: We respond to your call, oh Nasrallah!"
Crowd: "We respond to your call, oh Nasrallah! We respond to your call, oh Nasrallah!"
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