Believing in his father's dream, freeing Lebanon from all foreign occupiers and unifying its people, Nadim Gemayel started his political struggle at a very young age.

Syrian Hegemony 1994-2005

Following the assassination of President Bachir Gemayel in 1982, Lebanon entered a dark era, Syrian hegemony began to spread all over Lebanon. This slow attack culminated in 1990 with the Syrian takeover of the Presidential Palace of Baabda in 1990. Arrests, kidnappings, and jailings of whoever opposed the Syrian rule followed.
In 2002, Nadim started the “Lebanon First” movement (Loubnan Awwalan). Youth from all regions, who shared Gemayel’s vision and adamant struggle for freedom, rallied around him.

Gemayel continued his struggle against the Syrians and the pro-Syrian Lebanese regime by participating in and leading anti-Syrian demonstrations, organizing sit-ins with other anti-Syrian factions inside universities, and lobbying for Lebanon during his university years outside Lebanon.

Nadim’s opposition of Syrian interference in Lebanese internal affairs was highlighted in 2001 during the MTV shutdown. Gemayel was at the forefront of all demonstrations organized to reopen the station. It became a matter of complete oppression of freedom of speech in Lebanon. During one such demonstration, and while security forces tried to repress the demonstrators, Gemayel was included in a scuffle with them and was almost arrested.

Another one of Gemayel’s prominent appearances took place during the Baabda-Aley elections in 2003. The two rivals for the parliamentary seat were Hikmat Deeb and Henry Helou. Deeb was supported by Nadim Gemayel and those who were considered anti-Syrian factions at that time. Helou was supported by various pro-Syrian groups. Gemayel was one of the few who possessed the courage to refuse Syrian interference in internal conflicts.

His father’s annual memorial mass during the Syrian hegemony era was also an occasion for Nadim to address conflicting issues. He spoke in the name of the oppressed Lebanese and gave the youth a glimpse of hope for a free and sovereign Lebanon, for a better and brighter future.

Cedar Revolution 2005

The assassination of Prime Minister Rafic Hariri in 2005 triggered a series of demonstrations against the Syrian troops, and the Lebanese Security Officials allegedly implicated in his murder. Those demonstrations culminated on the 14th of March 2005 in what was later on known as the Cedar Revolution.

Nadim Gemayel was present throughout the whole period, and the “Lebanon First” movement was among the first to set up a tent in Martyrs' Square demanding the resignation of the government and the security officials, the complete and unconditional withdrawal of the Syrian troops, and the establishment of an international commission to investigate the assassination of Prime Minister Hariri and past political assassinations.

Kataeb

The Cedar Revolution marked Lebanon's second independence and was followed by an almost complete Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon on the 26th of April 2005, after harsh international pressure by the Americans and Europeans mainly.

Alas, despite the withdrawal of the Syrian troops, Syria was still present politically through its intelligence officers and through its alliances with pro-Syrian Lebanese factions such as Hizbollah, SSNP, and the Baath.

Nadim saw this second independence as a historic opportunity to launch his political career officially and engage in his father and grandfather's party, the Kataeb party, to preserve this long-awaited independence and fight Syria's leftovers in Lebanon.
On the 26th of April 2006, The Kataeb district in Achrafieh, after months of renovation, was opened and launched by Sheikh Nadim Gemayel. The ceremony included a bold speech by Nadim emboddying his political beliefs and goals, and was finalized by a prayer and lighting candles on his father's memorial.

The symbolism of this location, being the place where his father was assassinated, and the date, marking the first anniversary of the Syrian troops Withdrawal, were clear indicators of Nadim's strong will and determination to achieve his goals.