A-Infos (en) ait russia: Lebanon rebels against austerity [machine translation]

Lebanon became another country where the working masses and the poor rebelled against the 
arrogance of the rich and the incessant neoliberal attack on the living conditions of 
ordinary people. This time, overflowing the chalice of patience, this time was the 
decision of the government to introduce a mandatory daily fee for using voice calls in 
instant messengers, in particular, WhatsApp. But the explosion was brewing for a long 
time. ---- In an attempt to get away from economic problems, those in power habitually 
decided to shift the burdens onto the shoulders of the working people and introduce a 
number of new taxes. ---- Lebanon has one of the largest public debt in the world. The 
government wanted to introduce new taxes to reduce the budget deficit in order to unlock $ 
11 billion of economic assistance promised by international donors. According to the 
Ministry of Finance, Lebanon's national debt is about $ 86 billion, which is more than 
150% of GDP. In September, Prime Minister Hariri introduced a "state of emergency in the 
national economy" and announced the cabinet's intention to reduce the state budget deficit 
by fiscal year 2020 by almost 7%. The Hariri government took unpopular measures to reduce 
social payments and pension benefits to public sector employees and military personnel 
with the expectation of receiving large financial assistance and avoiding default ( 
https://www.bbc.com/russian/news-50108679 )

From the 10th of October, riots began to erupt in the country, and the WhatsApp tax was 
the last straw.

The population found out that there will be a fee for using any VoIP services in popular 
instant messengers. According to the plan, for every day of using voice calls on WhatsApp 
and Facebook Messenger, as well as for FaceTime calls, Lebanese residents will have to pay 
20 cents (about 13 rubles). After the news spread through local communication channels, 
the unrest and protests in the evening of October 17 began to develop into mass riots 
(https://www.popmech.ru/technologies/news-515382-nalog-na-golos-v-whatsapp-vyzval-massovye-besporyadki/)

On October 17, thousands of Lebanese spontaneously took to the streets, demanding the 
departure of predatory power. Protesters built barricades of burning tires and stopped 
traffic. The performances were the largest in scale for many years. In clashes with police 
using tear gas, dozens of people were injured. "The people are demanding the fall of the 
regime," chanted protesters gathered in Riad al-Solkh's Beirut Square. "We are not here 
because of WhatsApp," one of the participants of Abdullah explained to correspondents, "we 
are here because of everything: fuel, food, bread, everything." Many also expressed 
outrage at the authorities' inaction in the fight against forest fires - the largest in 
the country in decades.

After a few hours, the authorities abolished the WhatsApp tax, but this did not satisfy 
the protesters 
(https://www.popmech.ru/technologies/news-515382-nalog-na-golos-v-whatsapp-vyzval-massovye-besporyadki/)

On October 18, police in the center of Beirut used water cannons and tear gas to disperse 
the demonstrators. Hundreds of thousands of protesters blocked roads in the Lebanese 
capital, burned tires and garbage in the streets. They accuse the authorities of 
corruption and theft, saying they will not stop the protests until the government resigns.

Participant of the protest rally: "I need to undergo hemodialysis regularly. During the 
gasoline crisis, I begged at the gas station to give me a little to get to the hospital, 
but they refused. I am a sick woman. My son lives abroad. Treatment is expensive. The 
bills for drugs gasoline ... I can barely make ends meet. "

As a result of clashes between protesters and law enforcement officers, at least 200 
people were injured at the government building, including 60 police officers ( 
https://ru.euronews.com/2019/10/18/lebanon-friday-update )

On October 19, protesters again took to the streets. They began to build barricades in the 
streets leading to the Martyrs Square in the center of the capital. At the same time, they 
used garbage containers, concrete blocks and materials from construction sites. The night 
before, when street battles became especially intense, and now attacks were taking place 
on shops, offices and construction sites. Demonstrators chanted slogans and sang songs in 
front of the residence of the Prime Minister. Having prepared for volleys of tear gas, 
many protesters put on masks and goggles for swimming.

Thousands of young people gathered in Riad al-Solha Square. They sang and chanted. 
Authorities closed universities until Saturday. Schools and banks also stopped working. 
South of Martyrs Square, an unfinished building was set on fire, and protesters did not 
allow firefighters to enter. Police were not allowed into areas under the control of the 
protesters, but ambulances could travel freely. After a few hours, the fire went out by 
itself.

With the onset of darkness, clashes began to boil again on Solkh Square. The protesters 
bravely resisted the gas. However, this time the security forces managed to take control 
of the city center by 23.00 
(https://www.middleeasteye.net/gallery/pictures/Clashes-Lebanon-protesters-demand-leaders-quit).

On October 19, performances continued. In the middle of the day, people with state flags 
began to gather outside the government building in Beirut. Protesters demanded a complete 
review of Lebanon's political system. The center of Beirut was like a war zone. The 
streets were littered with broken glass, overturned trash cans and the remains of burnt 
tires. Banks and many restaurants and shops were closed. Protests that began spontaneously 
swept all regions of the country. In northern Lebanon, in Tripoli, the country's second 
largest city, protesters also gathered to launch fireworks and demand a change of power.

In Beirut, troops reopened blocked motorways after police used tear gas and water cannons 
to disperse the Friday crowd of protesters. According to police, 70 people were arrested 
and charged with theft and arson ( https://www.bbc.com/russian/news-50108679 )

On October 20, according to local media, one million seven hundred thousand people took 
part in anti-government demonstrations in Beirut and six other cities. The frightened 
prime minister announced a new anti-crisis plan, promising to increase taxes on incomes of 
banks and insurance companies and to cancel all previous decisions to reduce social 
payments and pensions to public sector employees. However, the demonstrators refused to 
accept these concessions. They continued to demand the departure of all authorities and 
called for a revolution ( https://ru.euronews.com/2019/10/21/lebanon-night-latest )

Here's what you could hear from the protesters:

"People can no longer tolerate this." There are no good schools left, no light, no water. 
Even the basic needs of the Lebanese are not satisfied, everyone came here with such 
requirements.

- Here you can feel powerful energy. I see that people from all regions take to the 
streets - this in itself exudes energy. I see Sunnis, Shiites, Christians and Druze - and 
it doesn't matter where someone came from, how or why - everyone joins forces 
(https://ru.euronews.com/2019/10/20/lebanon-historic-protests-government-concessions)

On October 21, a general strike was declared in the country. On this day, 2 million people 
participated in the demonstrations - a third of the country's population. The country was 
paralyzed - banks, state institutions, universities, schools and large shops were closed. 
Barricades began to be built right on the streets and mass clashes with the police took 
place. The military used rubber bullets to disperse the demonstrators in the center of 
Lebanon's capital Beirut. Police officers used tear gas and water cannons to disperse 
activists. As of October 22, a tent city with protesters remained in the center of Beirut. 
Activists also blocked the main motorways of the country 
(https://www.obozrevatel.com/abroad/vyishla-tret-stranyi-livan-nakryili-mnogomillionnyie-protestyi-foto-i-video.htm)

On October 21, the Prime Minister urged the parties of the government to support his 
"anti-crisis plan," making significant concessions to the protesters. The Lebanese 
government approved on Monday an anti-crisis program and a draft state budget for fiscal 
year 2020, refusing to introduce new taxes and cutting ministers by 50%. The authorities 
refused to introduce new taxes in the draft budget and will provide financial assistance 
to poor families. The Central Bank of Lebanon and commercial banks will allocate $ 3.5 
billion to the government to implement urgent measures to stabilize the economy. The 
salary of ministers and members of parliament will be reduced by 50% in response to a wave 
of mass protests that swept the country. Revenues of banks and insurance companies will be 
increased by 25%. (Truth, the prime minister immediately promised the privatization of the 
telecommunications sector). In order to save state funds, the country's information 
ministry and a number of separate departments are being abolished. The cabinet decided to 
allocate $ 160 million to support housing loans for the population. The Lebanese prime 
minister also announced the authorities' intention to cancel all previous decisions to 
reduce social payments and pensions to public sector employees and military personnel, 
which caused discontent among citizens.

Addressing the participants in the mass demonstrations in Beirut, the prime minister said: 
"It's your protest actions that inspired the cabinet to make today's decisions." He said 
that if protesters insist on holding early parliamentary elections, he will support this 
demand. "We hear the voice of a people that requires a decent life," he emphasized 
(https://www.finanz.ru/novosti/aktsii/kabmin-livana-prinyal-antikrizisny-plan-bez-novykh-nalogov-i-sokrativ-zarplaty-ministram-1028615550)

But this did not satisfy the protesters. The whole system causes their anger, but, first 
of all, the banks and the political elite of the country. It was banks that benefited from 
the economic policy of recent years. Moreover, many of these banks belong to politicians 
and their relatives.

On October 22, a protest took place in front of the Central Bank in Beirut. "We don't want 
to pay for the debts that you transferred to us," the demonstrators chanted.

The main causes of anger are austerity policies and corrupt elite dominance. No wonder the 
French Internet magazine Mediapart links protests in Chile, Lebanon, Ecuador and other 
countries with a common headline: "The stormy sunset of the neoliberal empire."

Observers draw attention to the general features of recent protests in Lebanon, Iraq and 
Algeria. Their main driving force is youth. Unemployment among people under 25 reaches 
37%, every year 30 thousand university graduates remain unemployed, the Lebanese newspaper 
An-Nahar reported in August, warning of imminent social upheavals.

The fact that the authorities have now decided to place part of the burden on banks 
demonstrates the pressure the government has faced. Among the promised reforms is the fact 
that banks will have to pay off debts from which they make a profit. The concession to the 
protesters was also the reduction of salaries to deputies and the dissolution of the 
Ministry of Information. This also includes the reduction of state subsidies to sectors 
affected by corruption, the adoption of a new law against the embezzlement of state money, 
the rejection of new taxes, the acceleration of the construction of new power plants, and 
a substantial increase in payments to old people and families. Privatization of 
telecommunications, although this is a neoliberal measure, but it is designed to reassure 
those who were outraged by the increase in fees for instant messengers ...

The effects of austerity policies in Lebanon are felt as never before. Firefighters lack 
funds. Power supply is becoming more and more expensive. Due to power outages, many 
families acquire their own generators, which are also expensive. The deplorable state of 
social services has been talked about for many years. Lebanon has recently been hit by a 
"garbage crisis" ...

The current protests are still distinguished by the fact that they crossed political and 
religious borders. They occur not only in Beirut, but also in other cities. Protests 
reject orientation to political parties. They are directed against the leaders of clans 
and billionaires. The roots of discontent go much deeper. People are outraged by the 
contempt for the general population on the part of the political elite, which draws its 
benchmarks from the dogmas of the World Economic Forum. They would like to "throw away the 
entire political elite." But they see, alas, no other way to do this, except by requiring 
a temporary "non-partisan" government ... 
(https://www.heise.de/tp/features/Libanon-Proteste-gegen-Banken-und-die-politische-Elite-4564703.html)
+++
"Overthrow everything!" - read the banner held by a small group of demonstrators in Beirut 
against the night sky. Observers note the very creative nature of the protests that swept 
Lebanon from Tire in the south to Tripoli in the north and set out to conquer the 
ever-ruling country, which is enough for them. People not only demonstrate, they bring 
into the movement the notes of carnival. In Tripoli, the DJ brought his installation to 
the balcony and turned the demonstration into a disco party. In Beirut, wedding couples 
crowded into the ranks of the demonstration. When one of the motorists, whose car was 
stuck in the midst of the crowds, screamed that her child was scared, the crowd 
spontaneously sang a popular children's song for him. Protesters mockingly abuse the 
powers that be, remembering their mother and genitals ... They mock even the powerful 
Hezbollah - this state in the state.

The country has not known protests of this magnitude since 2005, when it was shocked by 
powerful demonstrations after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. 
But then the Sunnis, Druze and some Christians stood on one side, Shiites and other 
Christians on the other. Now the situation is different. Dissatisfaction is widespread.

" Today, the Lebanese are united as rarely, furious at the arrogance, the eternal 
falsehood of the rulers of all factions. The infrastructure was destroyed during the 
years. Ambulances donated from Europe, rot at customs, because that - illegally - also 
wants to bribes. In within a few weeks of forest burned and could not be extinguished, 
because the donated fire helicopters never came. Despite repeated denials, the central 
bank's holdings of foreign currency due to expire, after which the filling stations have 
already went on strike for one on the day, because importers can no longer pay for the 
gasoline. Bakery shops are close to closure because their importers have no dollars left 
for flour, "the German magazine Spiegel describes the position of a country that once had 
the best infrastructure in the entire Middle East.

"But now people are raising their voices. For the first time since 2015, when the collapse 
of the garbage collection plunged the whole country into smoke and the smell of decay. But 
there are much more people on the streets than then. And unlike 2015, when there are 
dangerous thugs from the Shiite party." Amal's Parliament Speaker Nabi Berry burst in and 
beat demonstrators, former militias lose their militants: hundreds of tough Amal guys 
appeared on their scooters in central Beirut this weekend, but this time to protect the 
protesters. They rattled and buzzed water guns and police on Distance and made it clear 
who owned their sympathy: the street. "

"The protests continue. Schools and universities are closed, public life freezes. All 
politicians these days express sympathy for those who wish them hell. Because nothing else 
occurs to them, but also because they can still assume that in the end, nothing will 
change. As in 2015: then they also demanded an end to corruption and demanded the 
resignation of politicians 
"(https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/proteste-im-libanon-stuerzt-alles-analyse-a-1292791.html).

In other words: a change in the faces of those in power does not change anything. The 
system itself is subject to change.

https://aitrus.info/node/5343
_________________________________________
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