- Title: Roads blocked, businesses closed on fifth day of Lebanon protests
- Date: 21st October 2019
- Summary: SIDON, LEBANON (OCTOBER 21, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TYRES AND DEBRIS BURNING ON HIGHWAY IN SIDON, THICK SMOKE RISING ARMY KICKING BURNT BINS OUT OF THE WAY IN STREET (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) 41-YEAR-OLD PROTESTER, HODA HAFEZ, SAYING: "We are on the ground and staying here. This is the most important thing we want to say -- we are continuing in this movement, we won't back down and we won't leave the streets until all the people's demands are met. Our demands are right and we have reached a point where people have suffocated, there's no coming back from this point." CLOSED SHOP FRONTS LOCK VARIOUS OF CLOSED SHOPS, EMPTY STREETS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) 23-YEAR-OLD STUDENT AND PROTESTER, MOHAMMED AL-DIB, SAYING: "We did not go to the streets in vain, we are not closing roads for nothing. We are people who have suffered a lot and gone through a lot to be able to come together as Lebanese." TRIPOLI, LEBANON (OCTOBER 21, 2019) (REUTERS) TRUCK CLEANING MAIN SQUARE IN TRIPOLI VARIOUS OF CLOSED BANK / DAMAGED ATMS VARIOUS OF PROTESTER SLEEPING IN TENT BEIRUT, LEBANON (OCTOBER 21, 2019) (REUTERS) TRAFFIC ON HAMRA STREET VARIOUS OF CLOSED BANKS AND SHUTTERED DOORS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) LEBANESE CITIZEN FROM BEKAA, HASSIB, SAYING: "This is the right of every Lebanese, the right of every person with Lebanese values. There is nothing wrong, I think, with what's happening. I call upon everyone who has a national sense to go down, block roads and not respond to any politician he follows." VEHICLE DRIVING PAST CLOSED BANK VARIOUS OF CLOSED SHOP FRONTS VARIOUS OF CLOSED SCHOOL VARIOUS OF A MAIN ROAD IN BEIRUT BEING BLOCKED PROTESTERS SITTING, BLOCKING ROAD VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS GATHERING IN CENTRAL BEIRUT, HOLDING UP SIGNS ZOUK, LEBANON (OCTOBER 21, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MAIN HIGHWAY BLOCKED BY TYRES AND TENTS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) 24-YEAR-OLD UNEMPLOYED PROTESTER, ZIAD ABOU CHAKRA, SAYING: "We have been threatened many times to open the road, but we will stay here and we won't open the road whatever happens. Until the government falls, we will not open it." VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS BLOCKING MAIN HIGHWAY IN ZOUK MIKAEL THAT LINKS NORTH LEBANON TO BEIRUT TYRES AND DEBRIS ON THE GROUND
- Embargoed: 4th November 2019 09:22
- Keywords: Lebanon anti-government protests economic crisis President Michel Aoun protesters blocking roads
- Location: BEIRUT, ZOUK, SIDON AND TRIPOLI, LEBANON / INTERNET
- City: BEIRUT, ZOUK, SIDON AND TRIPOLI, LEBANON / INTERNET
- Country: Lebanon
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA001B21ISZR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Protesters across Lebanon blocked roads on Monday (October 21) for a fifth day of demonstrations fuelled by the crippling economic conditions and anger at perceived corruption, in the biggest show of dissent against the ruling elite in decades.
The protests have spread across the country since Thursday (October 17). Banks were closed on Monday and the main labour union went on strike, threatening further paralysis.
Later on Monday, Lebanon's cabinet is expected to approve reforms including halving ministers' wages in a bid to ease the economic crisis and defuse protests that have brought hundreds of thousands of people to the streets.
Lebanon's President Michel Aoun also said on Monday that protests gripping the country showed "people's pain" but that accusing all politicians of corruption was equally unfair.
Aoun added that the government must at least start by lifting banking secrecy from current and future ministers, his office said in a tweet.
(Production: Alaa Kanaan, Ahmad El Kerdi, Imad Creidi, Hassan Hankir, Walid Saleh, Yara Abi Nader) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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