Collective Action
Protesters stage a sit-in outside the residence of Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Beirut casting blame on the government after a boat carrying migrants sank off
In Beirut, demonstrators held a sit-in in front of the home of Prime Minister Najib Mikati, where security forces were deployed. "The castaways are the victims of the situation in the country, deputies from Tripoli and all of Lebanon," someone said. "We call on all leaders to resign", added another. Photos and videos circulating on social media show a banner hung in front of Mikati’s luxury yacht moored in Nice, France, which reads: "The inhabitants of Tripoli are being murdered by the owner of this yacht." With an estimated fortune of $2.7 billion according to Forbes magazine, Mikati, a native of Tripoli, is seen by many in Lebanon as one of the symbols of a ruling class mired in corruption and nepotism, and suspected of illicit enrichment.
Protesters gathered outside of Mikati's house in downtown Beirut Sunday night in solidarity with the people impacted by the incident in Tripoli. Mikati, who is from Tripoli and who recently appeared on Forbes's list of the richest Arabs, has been criticized for not doing more to assist the people of his largely impoverished hometown.