Lebanese MPs celebrate the anniversary of the Civil War with a football match as a pitch for peace

 


Politicians in Lebanon played a game of football to commemorate the 48th anniversary of the nation's civil war, a 15-year struggle that claimed more than 120,000 lives and drove 1 million people from their homes.

Nada Boustani, a former minister of energy and water, was one of the MPs from various political backgrounds that took the pitch in the friendly match versus Civil Defence personnel at a stadium in Dbayeh, north of Beirut.

The football game, in the words of MP Simon Abi Ramia, communicated a "message of peace and love" that could be discussed in political gatherings and aid in finding answers at the national level.

This is a chance to put aside political differences, he continued, so that future generations won't have to deal with strife, warfare, or other violent disputes.

Community organisations in and around Lebanon also held cultural and social events to commemorate the start of the civil war on April 13, 1975.

However, many Lebanese claimed they were too preoccupied with everyday issues as a result of the country's economic difficulties to attend the remembrance festivities.

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