Lebanon anti-gov’t protests escalate as currency plunges

Army soldiers clear burning tires set up by anti-government protesters from the path of their vehicle at a make-shift roadblock in Zouk Mosbeh north of Lebanon’s capital Beirut, on March 8, 2021 [JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images]

Hundreds of Lebanese demonstrators yesterday blocked roads across the country for the eighth consecutive day in protest against the deteriorating economic and living conditions after the country’s currency plunged to record lows.

The protesters blocked roads with cars, tyres, rocks and waste bins in the capital Beirut and in areas to the north and south of the country.

The popular protests began last Tuesday after the exchange rate of the Lebanese lira reached 10,000 against the US dollar.

The rise in the exchange rate on the black market led to a significant increase in the prices of consumer goods and a severe decline in the purchasing power as the minimum wage in Lebanon is less than $70.

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