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Many state employees across Lebanon went on strike and some gathered in Martyrs' Square in protest against the draft 2019 state budget as lawmakers convened to discuss it.

The administrative committee of the League of Public Administration Employees called for a general strike in all administrations to protest the budget. The articles protested by the employees include Article 82, which would give employees 15 days of annual vacation instead of 20, and Article 90, which would require them to work for 25 years instead of 20 years before retiring.

Fruit and vegetable farmers in Bekaa blocked the main road between Zahle and Ferzol Saturday to protest against smuggled Syrian produce.Farmers tipped crates of fruit and vegetables onto the road, calling on the government to protect Lebanese produce against Syrian competition.On Wednesday July 10th, agricultural unions’ leader Ali Shuman urged Bekaa farmers to take to the streets to protest the “tragic reality of Lebanese farms.”

A few young people gathered at the Abdul Hamid Karami Square in a peaceful sit-in to protest the visit of Minister of Foreign Affairs Gibran Bassil to Tripoli, amidst heavy deployment of the Lebanese Army and Security Forces in the region.

Dozens of Lebanese University students gathered in Beirut’s Riad al-Solh Square Friday to support the LU’s professors and protest the draft state budget. The students held signs reading, “We support the nation’s university. Yes to a national, independent and productive university.” Professors have been striking since May 6 to protest the draft budget’s allocations to LU and articles affecting state employees.