- Title: Massive wave of protests swells across Lebanon against ruling elite
- Date: 20th October 2019
- Summary: BEIRUT, LEBANON (OCTOBER 20, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TOP VIEW OF PROTESTERS PACKING THE STREETS, WAVING LEBANESE FLAGS AND CHANTING IN CENTRAL BEIRUT VARIOUS OF COLOURED SMOKE BILLOWING FROM CROWD
- Embargoed: 3rd November 2019 19:15
- Keywords: Lebanon protests politics economy unprecedented protests
- Location: TRIPOLI, SIDON, TYRE, JAL EL DIB AND BEIRUT, LEBANON
- City: TRIPOLI, SIDON, TYRE, JAL EL DIB AND BEIRUT, LEBANON
- Country: Lebanon
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Civil Unrest
- Reuters ID: LVA001B1WJ5TZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Massive protests swelled across Lebanon on Sunday (October 20) in an unprecedented show of dissent against its ruling elite, as hundreds of thousands converged to demand the overthrow of a system they see as riddled with corruption and cronyism.
A sea of people, many holding Lebanese flags, blocked roads nationwide for a fourth day, calling for revolution in protests that resembled the 2011 Arab revolts that toppled four presidents.
Cheerful, buoyant and hopeful that their protests would bring change, people of all ages and religions played patriotic songs and danced in the streets, with some forming human chains and chanting for their leaders to be ousted.
Festival-like scenes dominated the country from the capital Beirut to remote towns, with loudspeakers blaring music as crowds kept pouring into the streets. In Sidon, 35 kilometres (21.7 miles) south of Beirut and home to the country's largest Palestinian refugee camp, one Palestinian barber was offering free cuts to protesters.
''We are one with the Lebanese, and we are living the same situation,'' said Issa al Sayed while offering a free shave to a protester.
In Tyre, further south and traditionally a stronghold for Hezbollah and its ally Amal Movement whose leader is also the long running speaker of parliament, protesters chanted: ''The people want to topple the regime'' - the most popular refrain of the 2011 Arab Spring protests.
The anti-government protests, fuelled by crippling economic conditions and anger at perceived government corruption, have fanned out across the country since Thursday (October 17).
(Production: Walid Saleh, Hassan Hankir, Aziz Taher, Ellen Francis, Alaa Kanaan, Yara Abi Nader, Ayat Basma, Louisa Naks) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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