July 2020. Hundreds of demonstrators angered by a deepening economic crisis rallied across Lebanon for a third consecutive day on Saturday, after violent overnight riots sparked condemnation from the political elite. Protesting against the surging cost of living and the government’s apparent impotence in the face of Lebanon’s worst economic turmoil since the 1975-1990 civil war, protesters in central Beirut brandished flags and chanted anti-government slogans. “We are here to demand the formation of a new transitional government and early parliamentary elections,” Nehmat Badreddine, an activist and demonstrator, told AFP near the Grand Serail seat of government. In the northern city of Tripoli, young men scuffled with security forces, who fired rubber bullets to disperse crowds. The clashes there left more than 120 people injured, according to figures released by the Red Cross and local medical services. The stand-off began after young men blocked a highway to prevent a number of trucks carrying produce destined for Syria from passing through, according to the official National News Agency. The World Food Programme issued a statement to say that it had sent a convoy of 39 truckloads of food aid to Syria, which has suffered a knock-on effect from Lebanon’s financial crisis that has driven protests against the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
Jul 2020. The Lebanon Crisis
