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Thousands take to Lebanon’s streets in third day of protest
[DAWN] Tens of thousands erupted into the streets of Leb on Saturday for a third day of anti-government protests, directing growing rage at a political elite they blame for entrenched cronyism and driving the country to the economic brink.

In central Beirut, the mood was fiery
...a single two-syllable word carrying connotations of both incoherence and viciousness. A fiery delivery implies an audience of rubes and yokels, preferably forming up into a mob...
 and festive, with protesters of all ages waving flags and chanting for revolution outside upmarket retailers and banks that had their store fronts smashed in by rioters the night before.

The latest unrest was sparked by anger over the rising cost of living and new tax plans, including a fee on WhatsApp calls, which was quickly retrac­ted after protests ‐ the big­­­­gest in decades ‐ broke out.

In an attempt to appease demonstrators, Leb’s finance minister annou­nced following a meeting with Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri that they had agreed on a final budget that did not include any additional taxes or fees.

The protests followed a build-up in grievances over perceived government corruption, mismanagement of funds and a failure to address high unemployment.

No leader, Christian or Moslem, was spared protesters’ ire, creating a rare unity in a country riven by sectarianism.

At night, patriotic songs blared from loudspeakers in Beirut and fireworks went kaboom! over a sea of people dancing and singing, holding banners reading "unite against corrupt politicians".

Prime minister Hariri gave his government partners a 72-hour deadline on Friday to agree on reforms that could ward off economic crisis, hinting he may otherwise resign.

In a televised speech addressing the protests on Saturday, Hezbollah lead­­er Sayyed Hassan Nasr­allah said the group was against the government resigning, and the country did not have enough time for such a move given the acute financial crisis.


Posted by: Fred 2019-10-21
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=553271