Collective Action

Earlier in Beirut, hundreds of protesters marched from the Central Bank in Hamra to Riad al-Solh, on the 15th consecutive day of anti-government demonstrations. They had initially blocked the road outside the building at around 1 p.m., carrying banners reading, “Return the stolen money,” and chanting, “We want to topple the bank, we want to topple the regime.” The protesters then marched through the Burj al-Murr tunnel, which connects Hamra to Ashrafieh, over the “Ring Bridge,” through Martyrs’ Square and into Riad al-Solh. In the Akkar town of Abdeh, dozens of people, including local mayors and religious figures, gathered in protests blocking the road and telling local media that they were determined to stay until “all their demands were met.”Thousands gathered once again in Tripoli’s Al-Nour Square, holding meetings under small tents and waving anti-government banners. The northern capital has come to be known as “the bride of the protests,” as it has consistently hosted large numbers of demonstrators on its streets. Five were ijured in Sidon as Army personnel were opening a blocked road.