Dozens of demonstrators returned to the streets of Beirut in their cars to express their anger at the increase in poverty and suffering, despite the Corona pandemic that forced the demonstrators to wear masks.
On Tuesday, the crowds took to the streets in other parts of Lebanon as well, including the northern city of Tripoli, to resume the protests that had receded during the past months, after it shook the country since last October.
The protest came from inside the cars in order to preserve the rules of social separation, at a time when the country is fighting the outbreak of the highly contagious Coruna virus.
The protesters drove their cars from downtown Beirut to the seat of the first legislative session, which was moved from the parliament building to the hall of a theater to allow the application of the rules of social separation as well.
Ali Haidar, a demonstrator wearing a muzzle in downtown Beirut, said that the protesters had gone down to say either death from starvation or from the Corona epidemic.
The epidemic worsened the problems in Lebanon, which fell into severe financial crisis months ago. The Lebanese had to deal with the decline in their savings values, the rapid depreciation of the currency, the painful rise in prices, and the loss of jobs.
Before the outbreak, the World Bank projected that 40% of Lebanese would be in poverty by the end of 2020, expectations that the Minister of Economy believes are now outdated.
Lebanon’s economic problems, whose roots go back - as demonstrators say - to government corruption and waste of resources for decades, reached their climax last year after capital flows dried up and protests erupted against the ruling elite who have been in power since the 1975-90 civil war. .
Since mid-March, people can only leave their homes to buy food or medicine, in order to limit the spread of the virus, which has so far infected 677 people and has killed 21 in Lebanon.
The night curfew prevents people from leaving from eight in the evening until five in the morning the following day, and security forces implement these restrictions.
Hundreds of cars in all of Lebanon. Their horns sound sirens for the political class, which made the situation worse and more oppressive. Yidu said that this move is a strong indication that the revolution will return to the street soon and strongly once the Corona crisis ends. # Lebanon_Configuration # Refer 🇱🇧 pic.twitter.com/M2qt3jS1VM - Salman Andary (@salmanonline) April 21, 2020 |
The "Al-Majooz" enclave ... and move |