Thousands rally in support of Lebanese president Michel Aoun

Video. Thousands rally in support of Lebanese president Michel Aoun

Thousands of protesters rallied outside Lebanon's presidential palace on November 3 in a show of support for President Michel Aoun, after protests called for the ousting of the political elite.

Thousands of protesters rallied outside Lebanon's presidential palace on November 3 in a show of support for President Michel Aoun, after protests called for the ousting of the political elite.

A huge convoy of cars, some waving Aoun's orange Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) party flags and Aoun's portrait, snaked across a main highway as a sea of protesters marched to Baabda palace.

It was the biggest counter-protest to the massive wave of demonstrations that have gripped Lebanon since October 17, and which have included Aoun's removal among its demands.

Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri resigned on October 29 following the unprecedented nationwide protests, deepening a political crisis and complicating efforts to enact badly needed economic reforms. 

The protests have been less intense since Hariri resigned, but demonstrators remain on the streets and a core demand is the rapid formation of a government led by technocrats.