Lebanon: Christians, Sunnis and Druze - veterans and first-timers - united in a common cause yesterday to ensure that their anti-Syrian rally in Beirut was the biggest and noisiest in Lebanon's history.
Martyrs' Square, which has been home to a camp of live-in protesters for the past four weeks, was overflowing with flag-waving masses demanding an international investigation into the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri.
A month to the day after the explosion which blew apart his motorcade, many Sunni Muslims took to the streets for the first time with Druze and Christians. Mr Hariri was a Sunni.
It was the Sunni Itani family's first protest. "We came here to commemorate the martyr Hariri's death," Mohammed Itani said.
It was clear yesterday that a Beirut protest last week by the Syrian-backed Shia Muslim Hizbullah group, which drew hundreds of thousands, had galvanised many people.
"We want to show them we are more than the others, Hizbullah and the pro-Syrians," Mr Itani said. "We want Syria out."
Sunnis are traditionally less politicised than Lebanon's other sects. But the murder of Mr Hariri angered the community. Scores of Sunni clerics turned up, distinctive in their white-and-red turbans. Many women wore headscarves.
The organisers claimed that a million people had joined the protest.
No independent estimate was available, but witnesses said that the rally looked even bigger than Hizbullah's Beirut demonstration.
Men, women and children formed a vast sea of red and white - the opposition colours - as they thronged the square and surrounding streets. They fell silent for two minutes to commemorate Mr Hariri, a billionaire philanthropist.
"Hariri was not sectarian, he paid for the education of many people of all religions. He was a man of peace," Mohammed Qabbani said.
Protesters climbed on to the domes and the minarets of the massive unfinished mosque Mr Hariri had financed, which has now become his resting place. They also lined the rooftops and flyovers.
Opposition MPs denounced Syria and the Lebanese leaders it backs from a stage. Many in the opposition blame Damascus for the murder of Mr Hariri.
Syria has denied any involvement and has started to pull its troops out of Lebanon over the past week as a result of huge Lebanese and global pressure.
"We have won this battle. The Syrians are leaving because of these people," Nabil Jurdi said, gesturing to the ocean of flags.
The crowd chanted "Syria out" and "Sovereignty, freedom, independence."
One placard read: "We want the truth: Who killed Hariri?" Another said: "May God curse your killers."
When the speeches ended, nets were opened to release hundreds of red-and-white balloons into the twilight.