A lull in Lebanon's protests is over
New roadblocks set up by protesters caused traffic chaos in Lebanon on Monday (October 4), as the country entered its third week of protests against the political elite - sparked by a government proposal to tax WhatsApp calls.
Demonstrations had quietened down and banks were reopened last week following the resignation of Saad al-Hariri as prime minister.
But plans to reopen schools were called off as protests kicked off again over the weekend.
People flooded the streets from Beirut to Tripoli on Sunday (October 3), calling for a new cabinet independent of the political elite which protesters accuse of corruption and steering Lebanon into economic crisis.
(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PROTESTER, DOAA DENAWY, SAYING:
"How am I supposed to get married or teach the children I have not even had yet? My entire salary goes on electricity or mobile phone bills that take all of our money and leave us in debt. Nothing is changing, it has been 30 years and they haven't done a thing. All of them means all of them."
Formal consultations over the formation of a new cabinet have yet to begin, leaving Hariri in a caretaker capacity of a country grappling with the worst economic crisis since the 1975-90 civil war.
