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Large-scale protests took place Lebanon on October 18th, with tens of thousands taking to the streets to protest austerity measure, including a now withdrawn tax on WhatsApp calls.
The protests began on October 17th, but they had a much smaller turnout on the first day.
The protests weren’t specifically sudden, since the Lebanese government had passed an austerity budget in July to help the country reduce its massive deficit, but the “last drop” was the tax on the popular app calls. Hours after announcing the ridiculous tax, the telecoms minister, Mohamed Choucair, revoked it.
Protesters accused Lebanon’s top leaders of corruption, and called for the country’s strict banking secrecy laws to be lifted so that state funds stolen over the decades to be returned to the treasury.
Protests in Beirut keep growing. #lebanon pic.twitter.com/o6L8sSObdg
— Tamara Qiblawi (@tamaraqiblawi) October 18, 2019
Demonstrators, while waving Lebanese flag in Beirut’s Martyr Square called for the resignation of the country’s political leadership, including Prime Minister Saad Hariri, President Michel Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil.
Protests in Beirut were the most popular and demonstrators chanted “The People demand the fall of the regime,” in a reminder of the Arab Spring of 2011.
Protesters in the capital blocked the road to the airport with burning tires, prompting a heavy deployment by security forces.
At the government headquarters in Beirut, rioters attempted to storm the government building and there were violent clashes with security forces. Lebanon’s internal security apparatus said 52 police were injured and 70 people were arrested.
The Red Cross said its teams had treated 160 people wounded in protests since October 17th.
Protesters also took to the streets in the eastern Bekaa valley and in Tripoli, Lebanon’s second-largest city, where local media said that several protesters were wounded when a legislator’s bodyguards opened fire on a crowd.
There have been no reported deaths.
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who heads a government of national unity, which came into power less than a year ago, gave an address to the nation in which he blamed the other parties in the coalition for the issues.
“There are those who have placed obstacles in front of me … and in the face of all the efforts that I have proposed for reform,” Hariri said.
“Whatever the solution, we no longer have time and I am personally giving myself only a little time. Either our partners in government and in the nation give a frank response to the solution, or I will have another say. The deadline left is very short. It’s 72 hours.”
Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, and the president’s son-in-law, in an address to protesters also blamed other political parties for blocking reforms, but said that “any alternative to the current government would be far worse”.
Some MSM outlets furthermore reported that the protests spread to “Hezbollah-controlled” areas and even offices of influential deputies from the group, as well as those from the Amal movement were reportedly stormed.
The government is weighing a series of further belt-tightening measures it hopes will rescue the ailing economy and secure $11 billion in aid pledged by international donors last year.
It is expected to announce a series of tax hikes in the coming months as part of next year’s budget.
Lebanon’s public debt stands at around $86 billion — higher than 150 percent of gross domestic product — according to the finance ministry.
With the needed measures, things are likely to get worse before they get better, but a political will would be required, added to the ability to somehow avoid destabilization that could be detrimental to the region.
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Theres a real danger legitimate protests could be hijacked like in Hong Kong – I wonder which country has an interest in fuelling this!!
Israel and Saudi Arabia,UAE after Iran and Syria goals of Satanyahu failed.
Saudi, UAE, Syria and Iran gain nothing from this. Only Israel benefits.
Your shoes soon will be full of some yellow stuff made by Yourself. Thats all You can.
First You send Hesbollahs to Syria making even more refugees to lebanon and Hesbollahs are needed in the production of Lebanon.
Next many of them are killed and by that cant do their jobs. Finally the Hesbollah leftovers come home having no legs or worse as well as traumatized handicaps for the rest of their miserable lives.
Thats why. Your minus is small, and they did it and the rest of Lebanon having the best taxpayers has to pay for that too.
We see exact the same for the Westbank, Gaza and Syria. You are only able to remain in corrupt ineffective old systems and have no ideas for improvements of any kind.
Too often money is something, which is given to You, and You know nothing about how they are made and even blame people knowing how.
You are not even able to copy the good parts of, what Jews do next door. Well a few does.
Let me put it this way.Syria and Iran accusation and sabotaged have failed. Which USA, Israel, France, Britain, Germany, Saudi Arabia, UAE including Turkey has plan.So USA, France, Britain and Germany has slowly turning against Ukraine, Turkey and Hariri.
Ignoring Israel and Saudi Arabia with their evil warmonger plans have started. Soon their will be ignore.Saudi Arabia and Israel are desperately waging protests in Lebanon in order for USA, Britain and France to intervene and rise against Hisbollah and cut off interlink between Iran and Isolate the two freedom fighter powerhouses.
Israel is busy with sabotage of Iran ,PMU bases,Saudi oil fields and most recently Iran oil tanker.Pleade think why did Pompeo flew to Israel instead of Turkey and stop it from attacking Kurds. Israel covert attacks are captured on satellite footage by both Russia and USA intelligence.Pompeo ran to Israel to tell them that their are exposed.
USA is desperate and urgently living Syria after being exposed.There is no way that USA cant be detecting covert attack. Because USA surrounds whole of Middle East.Putin visit was to give Saudis hints and directives just as he safe Erdogan from USA NATO covert coup.
Saudi Arabia and UAE has been warn with footage and covert operations of Israel. Just to silence and pressuring Saudis and distance them from any accusation is the true presence of USA soldiers in Saudi.
There we go again. Of course its not the Lebanese themselves but Israel, Saudis, Emirates or whatever…
If there was a Nobel price for that, You all would be rich.
corrupt clan leaders, ruling a country… same shit like in Kurdistan… so what
Kurdistan doesnt exist.
More true then Arabs united:)
Happy Christmas to USA NATO and Israel their wishes of protest because of corruption has unfolded.
Their are planning now democracy of evilness and distruction.UN cant wait to send in humanitarian killing weapons and bombs as usual were NATO and USA are going to operate.Mexico and France need serious UN support.
All this over a garbage spyware app. Lebanese people (and all other arabs) should stop being retarded and just switch to telegram and avoid (((facebook))) products.
All apps spy on you. It’s rarer to find one that doesn’t. And like it or not whatsapp is the standard, just like facebook became the standard (anyone still remember myspace?). You can switch to others. And then you can talk to fuck all as all your friends and contacts remain on whatsapp.
This law is just trying to cash in on people using whatsapp for phone calls so they no longer have to use the traditional phone network. Which was probably in the hands of government cronies who were pissed off that they were missing out on all those whatsapp calls.
Oy vey! all apps spy on you goyim, keep using (((facebook))).
I’m a good little goyim, for I lust after that hot Jewish chick.
Thats not enough. Many programs can do almost anything. It doesnt matter if its twitter, Instagram, messenger and like that. Many other programs spy too. ell most of them incl.Microsoft and Google do.
You might be a little less retarded Yourself, if You tryed to improve Your knowledge level about this.
Every time You or Your computer update programs, they can put in and take out almost what they wish for. They know where You android is and where You go with it. If You pay by card or fx paypall they know where and often can trace almost what You buy.
And not only CIA is watching You. Your Goverments are. Thats why most of the debates here hardly are debates. So much in ME are Tabu, forbidden, taxed hard by the govermments and even worse.
You only can avoid most of it by encryption or VPN connections(encrypted). But if You do, they might think, You are a suspisius person too, and they might check You up.
How its here:
I dont drive taxi very often because its expensive. I asked for one to a machine as a 1# . It then said thank You, gave my totally random address with street number and said 11 minuts, 9 minuts, 7 minuts, 5 minuts. There still was a taxidriver, but the best way was given by GPS.
mossad mossad and mossad – don’t need to say more than that- israel is pissed off with hezbollah and because lebanon hasn’t agreed to let israel use lebanons seabed for the gaspipe from the gasfield outside palestine, which means the gas belongs to the palestinian people but the thieving and murderous scum would like to bring it to the european market over i.a. lebanons seabed (and that was the reason why pompeo a couple of months ago visited lebanon to discuss the availability of lebanons seabed for israel (answer no) – meanwhile, haven’t heard an awful lot from pompeo lately so I guess he sits tight and awaits a more positive outlook than the one trump provides.
The world on fire, Hong Kong, Barcelona, Santiago de Chile, now Beyrouth ….
Shabat Shalom to all !
Can’t beat ’em militarily, so try a colour revolution kit from G. Soros.