Lebanese protesters shut down roadways with fires as currency collapses

 Lebanese blocked roadways with blazing tyres and trash bins across Beirut and other cities on Thursday in resumed demonstrations sparked by a fast fall in the pound currency and mounting economic hardship.

The pound slipped to approximately 5,000 to the dollar on Thursday and has lost 70% of its value since October when Lebanon plunged into a financial crisis regarded as the biggest menace to stability since the 1975-90 civil war, Reuters reported.

From the northern city of Tripoli to the southern city of Sidon, Lebanese sang against the political aristocracy and set flame to important roadways across the country in the most widespread unrest since a coronavirus lockdown imposed in mid-March.

“We can’t afford to eat or pay rent or anything like that, so we will stay here until the dollar rate goes down and we get all our demands,” said Manal, a protester in central Beirut.

Protesters in Tripoli, Lebanon’s second-biggest city, threw petrol bombs at a central bank building, setting it ablaze and prompting security forces to fire tear gas, according to witnesses.

Prime Minister Hassan Diab called for an emergency Cabinet meeting to be held on Friday to discuss the monetary situation, a statement from his office said.

The unrest comes as Beirut holds talks with the International Monetary Fund for a reform programme it hopes will secure billions of dollars in financing and put its economy back on track.