During a meeting with the Lebanese community organized by the Gathering for Lebanon in France, Head of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), MP Gebran Bassil, reflected on the significance of October 13. He explained that his foremost reason for visiting Paris was to commemorate this historic day with the FPM, emphasizing that “even after thirty-five years, we remain committed to our cause and loyal to the memory of the martyrs.”
Bassil compared October 13 with October 17, describing the latter as the day when a genuine protest movement was transformed into what he called an “economic coup” against former President Michel Aoun and the FPM. He stressed that October 17 was not about trivial issues such as a six-cent increase on WhatsApp fees; rather, it was the result of an entrenched rentier economic system that attracted dollars through high interest rates and maintained a fixed exchange rate at the expense of Lebanon’s productive economy—ultimately causing citizens to lose their savings.
He explained that what followed was a deliberate financial assault: banks were closed, billions belonging to the influential were transferred abroad, while ordinary Lebanese were denied access to their deposits. The country, he said, was bankrupted by a premeditated financial engineering scheme that led to national collapse—six years later, no reform law has yet been passed to address it.
Bassil criticized the lack of popular commemoration for October 17, arguing that unlike October 13—which continues to be honored globally by FPM members and supporters—October 17 “had no genuine cause, roots, or ideology. It was a transient, externally influenced upheaval that plunged Lebanon into chaos.”
Even MPs who emerged from that movement, he noted, failed to unite to commemorate it. However, October 17 did attract the largest share of votes from abroad—around thirty-five thousand—from sincere Lebanese expatriates who genuinely sought change. Bassil said that while the movement could have been a moment of true reform, it was instead hijacked to destroy a patriotic Lebanese stance—one that opposed the permanent settlement of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, sought to protect Lebanon’s sovereignty, and resisted external domination and the obstruction of anti-corruption efforts.
He warned that the goal was to undermine authentic Lebanese nationalism, maintain chaos, and protect the corrupt political system still preventing reform and shielding those responsible for looting depositors’ money.
Reflecting on the FPM’s continued fight for accountability, Bassil reaffirmed that six years later, the party continues to demand the prosecution of those who misused public funds, the recovery of money transferred abroad, and the completion of forensic audits at the central bank.
“These are issues that only we continue to raise,” he said. “This alone proves that we remain the only reformist force in Lebanon fighting a system that blocks reform and protects corruption.”
He described October 17 as an economic coup against all Lebanese, while October 13 remains a symbol of steadfastness for the FPM and its supporters, a reminder that their cause cannot be undone by temporary crises.
“That is why we gather here today in France: to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to this cause, to honor the memory of our martyrs, and to declare that we will continue the struggle through elections, politics, and Parliament to protect and preserve the Lebanon we dream of and deserve,” he affirmed.
Bassil warned of growing threats to Lebanon’s identity, noting that both emigration and the influx of refugees endanger the nation’s fabric. He condemned recent government decisions allowing Syrian students to enroll in Lebanese schools even after the end of the war in Syria.
“On October 13, 1990, the FPM stood alone against the Syrian army’s occupation of Lebanon,” he said. “Even fourteen years after the war in Syria, we remain steadfast refusing the permanent settlement of refugees and insisting that the Lebanese diaspora’s place in their homeland cannot be replaced by displaced populations.”
Turning to the diaspora, Bassil underscored that the FPM’s relationship with Lebanese abroad is not transactional or electoral. The party’s goal, he said, has always been to preserve the diaspora’s identity, ensure their political participation, and facilitate their connection to their homeland.
“That is why the FPM is the only party challenging Middle East Airlines’ pricing policies—because we cannot be bought by the price of a plane ticket,” he said.
He reaffirmed the FPM’s consistent positions on sovereignty and accountability its resistance to Syrian influence from 1990 to 2005, opposition to Israeli aggression, refusal of the permanent refugee presence since 2011, and confrontation with figures like Riad Salameh and Mohammad Al-Hout.
“The answer is simple,” Bassil said. “The FPM chose the difficult path. Every stance we take comes at a cost attacks, injustice, and false narratives. That is why we come to you today: to speak of the cause that unites us the cause of a united Lebanon we are determined to preserve.”
Bassil emphasized that the diaspora lies at the heart of Lebanon’s political and national struggle. Lebanon’s challenges and successes, he explained, are both tied to its diaspora. It is both a curse and a blessing that half of Lebanese remain excluded from the voter rolls abroad, yet fortunate that the diaspora sustains those who remain in Lebanon.
“The FPM approaches the diaspora not out of political interest, but from an existential belief: without the diaspora, Lebanon cannot exist,” he said, citing France as a powerful example of the diaspora’s global success.
He added that when the FPM speaks of the diaspora, it is with the goal of rooting them more deeply in their Lebanese identity and strengthening their connection to the homeland. While it is unrealistic to expect all 14 million Lebanese abroad to return, the state can and must implement a national policy that safeguards Lebanese land for its people and preserves Lebanon’s identity, even within its broader regional and Arab context.
Bassil explained that preserving the diaspora’s connection to Lebanon requires recognizing them as full citizens with complete rights. He noted that this was the driving force behind the nationality restoration law and the right for Lebanese abroad to vote from their countries of residence.
He reiterated that the diaspora deserves its own parliamentary representation, allowing Lebanese abroad to choose whether to vote for MPs representing the diaspora or those in Lebanon, thereby embodying both dimensions of their identity.
He firmly rejected claims that the FPM had restricted diaspora voting rights. On the contrary, he said, it was the FPM that granted and defended those rights, even when it was no longer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He stressed that without a strong parliamentary bloc representing the diaspora, tangible improvements—such as increasing the number of consuls and economic attachés to serve Lebanese citizens worldwide—would not be possible.
Bassil concluded by asserting that the struggle for diaspora rights must continue through concrete legislative action rather than empty promises. He announced that the FPM will relaunch the Lebanese Diaspora Energy (LDE) in a new edition during the Positive Diaspora Energy Conference this Christmas, even if the party is not in government.
“This is our duty and the diaspora’s right,” he said. “When the law was passed, we did not hold the majority among expatriates but we still fought to include them and grant them their rightful representation.”
Bassil’s remarks came during his visit to France, where he attended a Mass at Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral in Paris in memory of the October 13 martyrs, in the presence of Lebanese Ambassador Rabih Al-Shaar. He also joined the Lebanese Diaspora Energy dinner, which gathered members of the Lebanese community from across France.