- Title: Lebanon protests enter 10th day with no end in sight, army tries to open roads
- Date: 26th October 2019
- Summary: BEIRUT, LEBANON (OCTOBER 26, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF RIOT POLICE TRYING TO REMOVE PROTESTERS BLOCKING ROAD RIOT POLICE COMFORTING LITTLE GIRL SITTING ON SIDE OF BLOCKED ROAD VARIOUS OF POLICE AND PROTESTERS IN MIDDLE OF ROAD (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) LEBANESE PROTESTER, NADER, SAYING: "The state has lost all its cards, the only thing left for them is opening the road and we won't allow this. To keep the pulse the streets, the roads should remain blocked." VARIOUS OF POLICE VEHICLE ON ROAD AFTER BEING REOPENED AMBULANCE PARKED ON ROAD VARIOUS OF TRAFFIC DRIVING PAST AFTER REOPENING VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS BLOCKING ROAD UNDER MAIN BRIDGE / RIOT POLICE GATHERED IN FRONT OF PROTESTERS PROTESTERS CHANTING AND CLAPPING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) LEBANESE PROTESTER, YEHYA AL-TANNIR, ACTOR, SAYING: "We won't leave the streets because this is the only card people can pressure with. The streets are the only pressure card for the people, we won't leave the streets until our demands are met. People will decrease in numbers, then increase, it is not easy. It is not easy at all for the revolution to succeed in Lebanon, let's be realistic, it is not easy at all, it is very hard." POLICE RIOT SHIELDS / PROTESTERS SITTING ON ROAD PROTESTERS CLAPPING AND CHANTING PROTESTERS WAVING LEBANESE FLAG SIDON, LEBANON (OCTOBER 26, 2019) (REUTERS) PEOPLE WALKING PAST OPEN SHOPS IN SIDON MEN INSIDE CURRENCY EXCHANGE SHOP PEOPLE QUEUING AT ATM MACHINE MAN OPENING SHOP (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PRESIDENT OF SIDON TRADERS ASSOCIATION, ALI AL-CHARIF, SAYING: "There is also a bad economic situation in regards of the traders, if this situation continues, with the closure (of shops), this will lead to dead ends and it won't be beneficial to the revolutionaries nor to the protests, because we also have demands, similar to those of the protesters and even more, and this is why we took this decision today, and we said, let's open (shops) because it is not acceptable to continue closing the city." PEOPLE WALKING PAST STOREFRONT TRAFFIC, POLICEMEN STANDING ON SIDE OF ROAD
- Embargoed: 9th November 2019 12:54
- Keywords: Lebanon protests Beirut Sidon roads block security protesters civil unrest
- Location: BEIRUT, SIDON AND JAL EL DIB, LEBANON
- City: BEIRUT, SIDON AND JAL EL DIB, LEBANON
- Country: Lebanon
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Civil Unrest
- Reuters ID: LVA001B2QHDFR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Protesters trickled back on to the streets across Lebanon on Saturday (October 26), despite army efforts to unblock roads, with no end in sight to a crisis that has crippled the country for 10 days.
A military statement said army and security commanders met to plan ways to re-open main arteries to get traffic flowing again while "safeguarding the safety of protesters". Protesters have closed routes with barriers and sit-ins as part of a wave of unprecedented protests demanding the government resigns.
Lebanon has been swept by 10 days of protests against a political class accused of corruption, mismanagement of state finances and pushing the country towards an economic collapse unseen since the 1975-90 civil war.
Banks will stay closed until life returns to normal and will pay month-end salaries through ATMs, the Association of Banks in Lebanon has said.
It has held crisis meetings in recent days in search of a way to reopen banks amid growing fears that a rush on them could deplete dwindling foreign currency deposits.
In the southern coastal city of Sidon, some shops opened their doors after days of closure.
"Shopkeepers are opening up to see if they can get things moving. The end of the month is near, people have rents to pay," said protester Hoda Hafez.
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah he leader of Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah movement, backed by Iran, warned on Friday (October 26) against a power vacuum and urged followers to stay away from the protests after they confronted demonstrators in central Beirut.
(Production: Alaa Kanaan, Ahmad El Kerdi, Issam Abdallah, Hassan Hankir, Imad Creidi, Yara Abi Nader) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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