We publish below an unofficial translation of an article first appearing here on A Nova Democracia [AND].
Hassan Nasrallah’s popularity expressed in the mass mobilization for the leader’s funeral also surpassed figures such as former Yankee President Ronald Reagan, Indian Mahatma Gandhi, and Pope John Paul II.
The funeral of Sayyed Hassan Hasrallah, former Secretary-General of Hezbollah, organized on February 23, five months after the murder of the political and military leader in a violent Israeli bombing, attracted more people than the funeral ceremony for Queen Elizabeth II, according to official figures consulted by AND.
Around 1.4 million people gathered in Beirut, the capital of the Arab country, to honor Nasrallah’s farewell, according to data reported by the Lebanese newspaper The Cradle. The crowd filled the Camille Chamoun Sports City stadium before the ceremony began and increased throughout the day, creating a sea of green and yellow flags bold with the Hezbollah symbol and photos and posters with the Lebanese leader’s face.
On the other hand, one million people (400,000 less) attended the monarch’s procession in London, according to the greatest numbers of the city’s transportation agencies published by the British newspaper The Standard.
The numbers were even smaller in the queen’s final farewell organized in the Westminster Palace Hall. Only 250,000 people attended the site, according to the most overestimated information. The number can be raised to 250,604 if one adds the 500 heads of state and foreign dignitaries, 18 monarchs, 55 presidents, 25 prime ministers, and 6 former British prime ministers.
In relative terms, only 1.4% of the UK population (estimated at 68.35 million people) attended Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, compared to 25% of Lebanon’s population who dedicated themselves to paying respects to Hassan Nasrallah.
The strength of Nasrallah’s funeral becomes even more remarkable considering that the Lebanese leader was not an official state figure, but the head of a national resistance movement classified as a terrorist organization by over 60 countries—which considerably reduces the number of official representatives present. Only delegations from Yemen, Iraq, and Iran attended the event as official representatives. That is, the vast majority of the public were the popular masses of Lebanon.
In addition, Nasrallah’s funeral was held under constant threats of Israeli aircraft that flew over the region, in a clear violation of ceasefire agreements. The attempted sabotage went wrong: videos record the crowd shouting “At your service, O Nasrallah” and “Death to Israel!” the moment the aircraft passed.
Greater than Reagan, Gandhi, and Pope John Paul II
Hassan Nasrallah’s popularity expressed in the mass mobilization of the leader’s funeral also surpassed figures such as former Yankee President Ronald Reagan, Indian Mahatma Gandhi, and Pope John Paull II.
In Reagan’s case, the discrepancy was, as with Queen Elizabeth II, in both absolute and relative terms: according to data from the Reagan Library, only 200,000 people went to the site of the reactionary president’s funeral ceremony to pay respects—or .06% of the US population in 2004.
Mahatma Gandhi’s funeral in the 2nd most populous country in the world attracted 2 million people, which in relative terms is.05% of the Indian population at the time, according to data from The Cradle and confirmed by AND. Pope John Paul II’s funeral recorded a presence of 4 million people, or 7% of the population of Italy.
Strength and Subjection
The authority imposed by the Nasrallah funeral forced the press monopolies aligned with Zionism to recognize the strength of Hezbollah.
“The mass event was intended as a show of strength for the militant and political group”, said CNN
The monopoly newspaper New York Times also described the ceremony as a “show of strength”.
“Hezbollah buries longtime leader, projects strength amid setbacks” was the title of the Washington Post report.
It was a clear statement that Hezbollah, under the unique direction of Nasrallah since 1992, raised perhaps unprecedented support with victories against the Zionist enemy after months of war and solidarity with the Palestinian National Resistance during the war in Gaza.
Nasrallah’s murder, far from incapacitating the movement or disorganizing its ranks, strengthened the wide subjection to the movement and its leadership, so that even the huge contingent of non-combatant masses present in the funeral expressed their willingness to serve Nasrallah—now represented in the new leadership of Hezbollah, in particular Secretary-General Naim Qassem.
Defining and New Times
The powerful mass mobilization that occurred in Beirut was enhanced by the current scenario of the world, in which the anti-imperialist and revolutionary struggle, particularly in the Gaza Strip, proved that human history is going through a new period of revolutions.
Also, in this resides the explanation for how Hezbollah managed to make a more powerful demonstration than veteran representatives of imperialism. Representing the new, the revolutionary, it is natural for Hezbollah to concentrate around itself a sea of masses willing to take part in the struggle for liberation—unlike individuals representing the old and decaying imperialist system.
Image: the funeral for Nasrallah on February 23, pictured alongside him on the billboard is Hashem Safieddine, a top Hezbollah leader killed in an Israeli airstrike in October 2024, The Cradle
The Worker is an entirely volunteer-run revolutionary newspaper free from and radically antagonistic to corporate influence. We rely on the support of our readers to sustain our editorial line in service of the working class and the reconstitution of its party, the Communist Party. Make a one-time or recurring donation to our newspaper today:
Make a one-time donation
Make a monthly donation
Make a yearly donation
Choose an amount
Or enter a custom amount
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
DonateDonate monthlyDonate yearly
