Lebanon protests resume following New Year holidays

Dozens of Lebanese protesters yesterday took to streets in the country’s capital city of Beirut port and the northern city of Tripoli, resuming their protests following the conclusion of the New Year holidays.

In a demonstration at the Beirut port that had lasted for an hour, protesters told Anadolu Agency that they were considering the port as a “symbol of corruption.”

Local sources said that the protestors had blocked significant roads west of Beirut with waste containers, but local security forces later reopened them. They added that the Lebanese army was “largely deploying troops across the west of the capital city.”

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Lebanon is suffering its worst economic crisis, rooted in decades of state corruption and waste, since the 1975-1990 civil war, leaving streets dimmer and shopping centres emptier, with many stores and restaurants void of customers.

Since 17 October, the Arab country has been witnessing widespread protests demanding those described by the protesters as “corrupt” to be held accountable and that the looted money by the government be refunded. The protesters demand a “government of specialists capable of tackling the political and economic situation.”