Mass protests against Lebanon’s rulers

TENS of thousands of protesters blocked roads, burned tyres and marched across Lebanon for a second day yesterday, demanding the removal of a political elite they accuse of looting the economy to the point of breakdown.

Lebanon’s biggest protests in a decade are reminiscent of the 2011 Arab revolts that toppled four presidents.

They brought people from all sects and walks of life on to the streets, holding banners and chanting slogans calling on the government of Saad al-hariri, the prime minister, to resign.

At sunset, protesters poured through the villages and towns of Lebanon’s south, north and east as well as Beirut, the capital. Across the country, they chanted for leaders, including Michel Aoun, the president, and Nabih Berri, the parliament speaker, to step down.

A security source said one protester was killed and four wounded after the bodyguards of a former member of parliament fired into the air in the northern city of Tripoli. Fires burned in the streets of Beirut, while pavements were littered with smashed glass and torn billboards.

The demonstrations follow warnings by economists, investors and rating agencies that indebted Lebanon’s economy and graft-entrenched financial system are closer to the brink than at any time since the war-torn Eighties.

Addressing protesters from the presidential palace, Gebran Bassil, the foreign minister, Mr Aoun’s son-in-law, said the government must work to stop corruption and avoid new taxes.