Collective Action
March towards Martyr’s square against the government
BEIRUT: Hundreds of protesters descended upon Martyrs’ Square Saturday, voicing their rejection of Prime Minister Hassan Diab’s government and the policies of banks.
Gathering under the slogan, “You will pay the price,” demonstrators assembled at Verdun and Sassine, and stopped in front of numerous bank branches on their way to Downtown Beirut.
Many protesters called for early parliamentary elections, carrying signs reading, "No trust! Yes to the shortening of Parliament’s tenure."
Others carried banners bearing the slogan "Hunger is more dangerous than coronavirus.”
“After their discussions with the IMF they’ll announce additional taxes upon us and they’ll remove subsidies on bread,” one protester told local TV channel al-Jadeed.
“The poor shouldn’t be paying the price of 30 years of corruption ... We’re going to die from hunger. We can now only withdraw $200 every 15 days,” he said, referring to capital controls imposed by banks on accounts.
The recent devaluation of the Lebanese pound by as much as 60 percent has contributed to the declining purchasing power of Lebanese residents.
Prices of food and consumer goods have risen by as much as 40 percent in the past four months, the Consumer Protection Association announced Friday.
“This uprising will continue. Even after five months of protests the political elite and authorities can’t offer anything to the Lebanese people,” another man said.
“The consultations they are doing with the IMF and World Bank will only lead to the selling-off of the public sector and its institutions. Their intervention is the result of the policies of the corrupt political elite.”