Anger is renewed in the Lebanese street .. Where are the things going?

Sim Al-Zuhairi - Beirut

It was not surprising for many that the scene of the popular protests resumed in Lebanon after what looked like a rest imposed by various political circumstances, and then the spread of the new Corona virus (Covid-19) and the accompanying measures of public mobilization.

Even the demands for which the protesters took to the streets and public squares since last October 17th remained merely demands, and the situation worsened, according to the protesters.

The economic reality reached the peak of the crisis during the past few weeks and days, with the exchange rate of the dollar against the Lebanese pound increasing rapidly and unprecedentedly, which caused an increase in the prices of goods, food and supplies, and thus eroded the salaries and incomes of citizens.

The city of Tripoli, in northern Lebanon, hijacked the spotlight in the past hours, after the popular congestion sparked protests and confrontations between demonstrators and security forces, and other areas in the Bekaa, North, South and the capital, Beirut, witnessed protest movements, sit-ins, and road closures.

Protesters in Tripoli burned a number of commercial bank branches, and clashes were recorded between the protesters and the army, resulting in the killing of a protester and wounding others, after the army forces used tear gas and rubber bullets to break up the protests.

The army said that 54 military personnel were wounded during the confrontations in Tripoli and other regions, noting that 13 protesters had been arrested on charges of fabricating riots.

The protests continue and
in the context, the activist in the popular movement Shadi Nashabah saw that the government was given a grace period after its formation, but the continued political rivalries and the high dollar and high prices sparked great anger in light of the increasing number of protesters in Tripoli, where the poverty rate exceeds 40%.

On the confrontations between the protesters and the army, a youth group added to Al Jazeera Net that the citizens are not against the army but they want to show their anger by confronting political power.

He considered that the protests will not stop until the authorities take serious measures to reassure the people and hold the corrupt accountable, stressing the need to start with steps such as reforming the electricity sector, which constitutes nearly 50% of the deficit, and deducting the sums and profits achieved by the banks, in addition to the importance of the judiciary's move to hold the corrupt and those involved in the looting of money Year.

Prime Minister Hassan Diab had strongly attacked the governor of the Lebanese Central Bank, Riad Salama, and accused him of playing a suspicious role in the collapse of the local currency exchange rate.

Commenting on the popular protests, Diab said his government understands what he described as the people's cry against the policies that brought the country to this social, living and financial reality, but stressed his refusal to tamper with security stability, noting that there was what he called a malicious intent behind the scenes to shake security stability.

On his part, increasing concerns , political and academic researcher Ali Shukr said that Tripoli is the soft side in Lebanon, considering that the social and living conditions in it are the worst in the country.

Thanks to his talk to Al-Jazeera Net, Shukr saw that there are political intersections that distinguish the northern city from the rest of the regions, stressing that the cause of what is happening is a mix between social and living causes and political factors.

He considered that things are heading for the worse and that what is happening is the first spark to explode the social situation in the country, pointing out that the situation is heading towards negative developments, and he expressed his fear of the insecurity of the security situation.

He thanked the government for taking what he called bold and decisive steps in combating corruption in a comprehensive manner, away from politicization and selectivity.

He said that there is a difference between the political forces on the performance of the Bank of Lebanon and the role of banks, stressing the need to find a complete view of the financial issue, including the tasks and role of the Governor of the Bank of Lebanon and the role of the banking sector.

According to analysts, the popular momentum is starting to regain its strength based on the exacerbation of social and economic problems, at a time when the political conflict appears to be intensifying between the forces supporting the government and the parties and opposition currents on many issues.