Lebanon has been in a state of heightened tensions and revolt for the past five years. The unrest started with Beirut’s 2015 waste management crisis, which saw heaps of garbage fill the streets of the city. The crisis gave birth to the You Stink! protest movement, which called for an end to government corruption and mismanagement of the country’s resources. The spirit of the 2015-2016 protests was once again felt in 2019, when a new wave of unrest saw thousands of Lebanese people take to the streets to demand change. The protests that erupted in October 2019 called for broader social and political reforms, cutting across sectarian lines and clearly defining the political elite as the subject of their wrath. This came following a period of economic hardship, which saw the government fail to provide basic services, such as firefighting, steady electricity, potable water, and healthcare. This highlighted Lebanon’s crumbling infrastructure problem as well as the shortsightedness of its government, which plunged the country into debt and poverty. The protests, which erupted in response to proposed tax hikes, unseated former Prime Minister Saad Hariri. Lebanon’s economic woes only deepened with…
In Photos: Lebanon’s Rightful Outrage Is Greater than the Beirut Blast
August 11, 2020
