Protesters out in force on streets again

FOLLOWING a brief lull, Lebanese protesters returned to the streets, blocking several roads around the capital Beirut and other areas of the country yesterday in renewed rallies against a ruling elite they say has failed to address the economy’s downward spiral.

Protesters burnt tyres and blocked three main highways leading to the capital, bringing traffic to a standstill. School and university students took part in some of the protests and hundreds marched down main highways, raising Lebanese flags and blasting rallying songs through loudspeakers.

The protesters returned to the streets after weeks of relative calm, following the designation of Hassan Diab as prime minister in mid-December. The lull was also partly due to the holidays followed by soaring regional tensions between the US and Iran.

“This protest is to revive the revolution and to show the rulers that the revolution will stay,” said Rabie al-Zain, an activist. “Today we add the students to the revolution – those who will handle the country when the current rulers will go to the dustbin of history.”

In downtown Beirut, dozens rallied outside the Central Bank, chanting against the governor and his financial policies. Security forces separated the protesters from the bank’s entrance.

In the northern city of Tripoli and in Akkar province, protesters sat in the streets and blocked several roads with burning tyres or bricks. In the southern city of Sidon, dozens of protesters marched down the streets, rallying outside banks and government offices.

Lebanon is facing its worst economic crisis in decades, with the local currency plummeting before the dollar, losing over 60% of its value over the past weeks while sources of foreign currency have dried up. Meanwhile, banks have imposed informal capital controls limiting withdrawal of dollars and foreign transfers in the country, which relies heavily on imports of basic goods.

Panic has set in among residents who fear their deposits are in danger. Nationwide protests for three months have failed to pressure politicians to form a new government to institute drastic reforms.

Diab, the interim prime minister, has so far failed to form an emergency government amid political divisions and jockeying for power. Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned in late October.

Lately, protesters had focused their ire on banks, demanding access to their deposits.

Nationwide protests began in mid-October, denouncing years of government mismanagement and corruption, demanding the political elite step down. |