Location on the Lebanese territory

Protesters light up Beirut with burning tires over power cut

Beirut residents crippled one of the city’s busiest roads at rush hour on evening, burning tires and bring traffic to complete halt at recent electricity cuts following strikes by power company employees.

“What did we do them?” one resident screamed, in a jab at politicians.

“Why are you doing this to us? We want to eat ... we have gone four days with no electricity,” she added.

Disabled persons protest for accessibility, inclusion

A number of people with disabilities held a protest in Beirut to call for greater inclusion in Lebanese society, the state-run National News Agency reported.

The demonstrators staged a sit-in on Corniche al-Nahr to express their right to be fully integrated into society and to denounce the country’s lack of wheelchair-accessible public spaces.

The protesters called on President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Saad Hariri, asking the country’s political leadership to consider the rights of those living with disabilities.

EDL per diem workers block roads as protests continue

Electricite du Liban per diem workers blocked roads in Beirut’s Corniche al-Nahr, for the second time in less than ten days, to protest a lack of long-term contracts and the ongoing late payment of wages, a security source told The Daily Star.

Some of the workers have not been paid in 10 months, the source added.

The protest began at around 10 a.m., with the blocked road causing a snaking line of traffic.

Marcel Ghanem Interrogated as Protesters Brave Rain to Show Solidarity

Prominent TV talk show host Marcel Ghanem appeared before Mount Lebanon First Examining Magistrate Nicola Mansour in connection with a controversial episode of his Kalam Ennas show, as protesters braved heavy rain to express solidarity with him outside the Baabda Justice Palace.

Ghanem’s lawyer, MP Butros Harb, meanwhile filed procedural defenses that were accepted by Mansour and the session was adjourned to February 2.

Electricity workers block roads in Tyre

Dozens of Electricite du Liban workers who work on a per diem basis blocked the main entrance into the southern city of Tyre to protest the lack of long-term contracts and benefits, the state-run National News Agency reported.

The workers briefly halted their protest earlier, but then continued the demonstration, blocking a major roundabout in the city.

Vigil highlights reach of gender-based violence

The murder of Rebecca Dykes this month turned a spotlight on to male violence against women in Lebanon, with activists noting that the crime was not an isolated incident in the country where gender-based violence is widely underreported. “This could happen to any woman, it could be me, it could be you. I’m extremely upset about everything that has happened,” Sahar Chalak told The Daily on the evening during a vigil held at Beirut’s National Museum for four recent victims of femicide that included Dykes.

Protesters call for more NSSF embezzlement prosecutions

Protesters called for National Social Security Fund employees involved in embezzlement to be prosecuted, saying that the charges already brought against several NSSF members were not enough.

The demonstration, held outside the Justice Palace in Adlieh, coincided with the trial hearing of NSSF Technical Committee head Samir Aoun. Around a dozen protesters, including judges, gathered to denounce what they said was a lack of comprehensive action against the misappropriation of funds at the state body.

Teachers protest outside Education Ministry

A group of contract school teachers held a protest outside the Education Ministry, demanding that they be given long-term contracts and be formally employed by their places of work.

Local media reported that a delegation of the protesters met with Education Minister Marwan Hamadeh, while those remaining outside, in Beirut’s Unesco area, blocked a nearby road as part of the demonstration.

One protester told reporters at the scene that the call to be installed as permanent workers should not be seen as a request for charity from the teachers.

EDL contractors protest late wages

Dozens of Electricite du Liban contract workers on morning protested the ongoing late payment of their wages, briefly blocking Corniche al-Nahr road before being pushed back onto the sidewalk by security forces.

The demonstrators, who work for EDL subcontractor the Debbas Group, have been protesting their working conditions for several years.

Points of contention include the workers’ lack of long-term contracts and the regular delays in wage payment.

A spokesperson for the protesters told reporters that wages had not been paid in more than three months.

Drivers attempt to storm TV studio during Uber debate

A clash between Uber and taxi drivers broke out outside a Beirut TV station at night as the groups attempted to storm local channel Al-Jadeed’s studios during a live broadcast debate on Uber’s operations in Lebanon. The incident took place during the broadcast of Tony Khalife’s prime-time TV show “Eye to Eye.”

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