By Maher Khazaal
Like in the rest of the world, the Lebanese government took advantage of the pandemic to apply more austerity against the people using repression, starting first by evicting the protesters’ tents and applying the quarantine unfairly.
Yesterday, on January 26, after months of paralysis in the streets, the masses came out again in Tripoli, since October 17 called “the wife of the revolution”, to demonstrate against a new quarantine that left thousands without work. The system’s response being the same, applying more repression to the people who are demanding basic rights, they started with tear gas canisters and rubber bullets. When they saw that there is resistance they began to shoot real bullets at the protesters in an attempt to break the columns and not allow the masses to reach the government house. In spite of all the repression, they arrived and managed to burn the house.
At the same time, different groups in other cities blocked main roads to support Tripoli and to weaken the focus of the repression there.
From the Youth for Change Movement we support the mobilizations throughout the country, promoting them and inviting the people to come out again and take back the streets in Beirut. We insist on the need for the unity of the left and not waiting until the last minute, as happened last year.
Shortly we will send a more comprehensive statement on the current events in our country and the evolution of the demonstrations, in which we will be participating shoulder to shoulder in the streets.
