Foreign media’s ’shallow coverage’ of protests angers Lebanese

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by arabnews.com TAREK ALI AHMAD -- BEIRUT: Shallow. Superficial. Politically motivated. These are some of the epithets being used by Lebanese men and women to describe the portrayal by the foreign media of the ongoing protests against the country's political elite. From Sidon in the south to Hermel in the north, Lebanon is witnessing an unprecedented cross-community uprising as public frustration with the country's tottering economy, administrative paralysis, crumbling infrastructure and chronic corruption boils over. From the very start, many Lebanese say, the protests have been mischaracterized by Twittering "armchair pundits" and sections of the foreign media as a "Whatsapp Revolution" because of the telcommunications minister's abortive attempt to introduce a daily $0.20 fee for users of Whatsapp and other internet-calling apps. Some Twitter users suggested the Lebanese "are going bonkers in the streets" because of the "Whatsapp tax." It was not just comments on social media that many Lebanese found deeply objectionable. Time magazine had posted a photo on Instagram of burning tires with a caption that said: “Tension had simmered for months but on Thursday, protesters learned about the government's plan to tax Whatsapp calls. As the streets swelled, the Associated Press adds, that plan was withdrawn.”

The Instagram post spurred many Lebanese abroad into reporting it for playing into media stereotype of the historic protests. But the attitude of some media outlets closer to home was seen as no less frivolous. The New York Times carried an opinion piece with the sub-headline "The Middle East could use a decent country. One million Lebanese protestors are demanding one. Hezbollah has other ideas". The reference to “decent country” got heavy flak from Lebanese and Arabs on social media, prompting the newspaper to modify the sub-headline. A Saudi daily carried a report on the protests decorated with images of what it described as Lebanon's “attractive and revolutionary” women, with the headline: “Lebanese babes: All the beautiful women are revolutionary.”

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PM Hariri resigns as Lebanon crisis turns violent

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BEIRUT (Reuters)- Saad al-Hariri resigned as Lebanon’s prime minister on Tuesday, declaring he had hit a “dead end” in trying to resolve a crisis unleashed by huge protests against the ruling elite and plunging the country deeper into turmoil. Hariri addressed the nation after a mob loyal to the Shi’ite Muslim Hezbollah and Amal movements attacked and destroyed a protest camp set up by anti-government demonstrators in Beirut. It was the most serious strife on the streets of Beirut since 2008, when Hezbollah fighters seized control of the capital in a brief eruption of armed conflict with Lebanese adversaries loyal to Hariri and his allies at the time. Hariri’s resignation on Tuesday points to rising political tensions that may complicate the formation of a new government capable of tackling Lebanon’s worst economic crisis since its 1975-90 civil war.

Hariri 'Relieved' after Resignation as Mufti Calls It a 'Positive Shock

by naharnet.com -- As soon as Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced his resignation, popular delegations, dignitaries, clerics, former prime ministers, incumbent ministers and al-Mustaqbal Movement MPs from different areas flocked to the Center House to express their support for his decision to resign. The visitors included former PMs Tamam Salam and Fouad Saniora, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan and the ministers Raya al-Hassan, Mohammed Choucair, Adel Afiouni and Jamal Jarrah. Hariri told his visitors: “I just want to say: May God protect Lebanon and we hope to get out of this impasse and we hope that the country will be fine.” He said he was relieved because the resignation was in response to what the people wants, and said: “We will all stay together.” Mufti Daryan expressed his solidarity with Hariri’s stance. He said: “Premier Hariri’s resignation puts all officials before their historical and national responsibilities to preserve Lebanon’s stability and security, the dignity of the Lebanese people and their decent living.” He added: “The resignation of Prime Minister Hariri represents a positive shock to all the officials and the Lebanese to agree on solutions that take the country out of the deadlocks and crises from which the Lebanese suffer.”

What's Next after Hariri's Resignation

by AP -- The resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Tuesday meets a key demand of Lebanon's anti-government protesters but will also plunge the country into even greater uncertainty, with no clear path to resolving its growing economic and political crisis.

THE BACKGROUND

The political settlement that ended Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war distributes power and top offices among the country's Shiites, Sunnis and Christians. The complex sectarian system has mostly kept the peace, but it has made major decisions extremely difficult and contributed to long periods of political gridlock. The Western-backed Hariri had served in a national unity government dominated by rival factions allied with the militant Hizbullah group, whose supporters attacked the main protest camp in central Beirut on Tuesday. He had proposed the creation of an emergency Cabinet made up of a small group of technocrats to steer the country toward necessary reforms, but his governing partners refused. A point of dispute emerged over Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, the son-in-law of President Michel Aoun. The protesters have trained much of their vitriol on the two men, who are allied with Hizbullah, but Aoun has reportedly insisted on remaining in office and keeping Bassil in his post. Hizbullah, which has three ministers in the government, has stuck by its allies and was opposed to Hariri's decision to resign.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

If he accepts his resignation, Aoun will task the now-resigned government to continue in a caretaker capacity. Under the constitution, he then has to hold binding consultations with the heads of parliamentary blocs to ask them for their choice of a new prime minister. He could then appoint Hariri or another individual from the Sunni community to form a government. In Lebanon's system, the presidency is reserved for a Christian, the prime minister is Sunni and the parliament speaker is Shiite. Aoun has the right in principle to reject Hariri's resignation, but he could then refuse to call for Cabinet meetings. The process of forming a new Lebanese government typically takes several months. It took Lebanon's factions 2 ½ years to agree on the current president, and it took nine months to form Hariri's now-embattled government. This time, however, the country is in the grip of a severe economic crisis that has only worsened since the protests began, with banks, schools and businesses having been closed for two weeks.

ROCKY PATH AHEAD

Political tensions also are rising after Tuesday's clashes. "In this context, it is incredibly difficult to see them agreeing on any one new name," said Maha Yahya, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center. That would leave Hariri in place as head of a caretaker government. "His capacity to address the economic crisis and possible economic and financial collapse will be curtailed even more," Yahya said. "A devaluation of the Lebanese pound will likely lead to even more social unrest and turbulence on the street." The protesters have adamantly rejected the entire political class, calling for overthrow of the postwar regime. Acquiescing to those demands would essentially require those who have led the country for three decades to legislate themselves out of existence. The leaders reject that.

Exclusive: Lebanon needs solution to crisis in days - Central bank governor

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BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon needs a political solution to the country’s crisis in days to regain confidence and avert a future economic collapse, Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh told Reuters on Monday. He said a CNN headline did not reflect what he said in an interview with the broadcaster. “I am not saying that we are going to have a collapse in a matter of days. I am saying we need to have a solution in a matter of days to regain confidence and avoid collapse in the future,” Salameh said. The CNN headline on Monday read “Lebanon is ‘days’ away from economic collapse”. Lebanon’s banks have been shut for nine working days amid an unprecedented wave of protests across the country against the government. Lenders have said they shut their doors due to safety concerns. Lebanon’s banking association said they will remain closed on Tuesday.

Salameh told Reuters the banks would reopen “as soon as the situation calms down. We didn’t ask them to close”. He said that the local currency peg to the dollar would be maintained and that when banks reopen, “there is no capital control and no haircut”. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said it was evaluating an emergency reform package Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri announced last week, but which has failed to defuse the popular anger or reassure foreign donors. When asked if Lebanon would go to the IMF or other international institutions for help, Salameh said that was for the government to decide.

Hariri has said the central bank and commercial banks would contribute 5.1 trillion Lebanese pounds ($3.4 billion) to cut the budget deficit, including through a tax hike on bank profits. Salameh said the $3.4 billion included the central bank reimbursing the government with interest paid to the central bank on Lebanese pound debt it holds, in addition to the tax on bank profits. “The central bank controls today 53% of the debt in Lebanese pounds and therefore receives 53% of the debt service on this debt. This will reimbursed to the government,” he said. Reporting by Beirut bureau; Writing by Ellen Francis and Lisa Barrington; Editing by Samia Nakhoul/Mark Heinrich Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

German embassy worker allegedly sold visas to Lebanese clan — report

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dw.com - German authorities are looking for a former embassy worker who allegedly sold visa documents to members of a Lebanese clan. The clan then used the documents to smuggle Syrian refugees into Germany, according to a report. A Lebanese man who used to work at the German embassy in Beirut is wanted by authorities over alleged "irregularities" involving visa documents, according to a report by the Bild am Sonntag newspaper. "We are working closely with the relevant criminal investigative authorities in this case," the German Foreign Office told the paper, adding that the suspect no longer works at the embassy. The man reportedly worked in the embassy's visa department until 2017 and is believed to have taken so-called "visa stickers" — papers that are inserted into passports and are necessary to travel to Germany.

He then allegedly sold the visa documents to a Lebanese clan, who in turn used them to smuggle Syrian refugees into Germany. According to Bild am Sonntag,German authorities were tipped off to the man's activities following nationwide raids against suspected people trafficking gangs last Thursday. The visa documents were reportedly used to smuggle 26 Syrian refugees to Germany and the Netherlands between August 2018 and September 2019. The refugees had to pay the clan between €4,500 and €15,000 ($4,980 to $16,600) per person in order to secure the visas, reported news agency DPA. Lebanese clans have increasingly come under scrutiny in Germany in recent months, and have been the target of several raids in Berlin and the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Protesters in Lebanon formed a human chain across the entire country

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(CNN) By Alaa Elassar, Protesters across Lebanon joined hands on Sunday to form a human chain that connected the country's north and south, a symbolic display of national unity during a period of political turmoil. Nearly 170,000 people joined the chain, which ran from Akkar to Sidon, said Dr. Sally Hammoud, an event organizer. "It was a symbol to show the world that we all are united and nothing can break us, and most importantly, we are peaceful," she told CNN. The chain spanned 105 miles (170 km), cutting through Beirut, Tripoli, Dbayeh and other cities along the Lebanese coast. Many participants draped themselves in the Lebanese flag and sang the national anthem.

or more than a week, hundreds of thousands of Lebanese, from all walks of life, have taken to city streets in what has been dubbed the "October Revolution." Frustrated by decades of corruption, mismanagement and sectarianism, citizens are calling for the government to resign. The sudden mass movement has brought the country to a standstill and caught the political elite by surprise. The human chain formed on Sunday was inspired by similar chains Lebanese women have formed throughout the revolution to prevent clashes between protesters and armed forces. Yara Khawam, an actress and organizer, described the human chain as an act of love. "Our message was to portray the love we're made of, us Lebanese people," Khawam told CNN. "I think the second we realized that our government kept us caged in their little sects and forced us to hate one another, we saw how much we'd like to all hold hands and be together."

Participants began joining hands and linking arms early afternoon. By 4 p.m. local time, the chain was complete. The massive protest action did not cut through roads. Rather, it was formed along the country's main coastal highway. "We wanted to show the world that our intention is not to disrupt the country nor provoke any other parties that might be against our protest," Hammoud said. "To say that we could express ourselves yet not affect the freedom of movement for anyone." Hammoud said the line formed "naturally," with people driving themselves and other protestors -- and some even taking buses -- to other cities to fill the gaps in the chain. The initiative only took two days to organize. According to Hammoud, the only resources the organizers had to make the human chain happen were their phones: "no modes of transportation, megaphones, or walkie talkies."

Despite the event's success, there were some obstacles. Hammoud said organizers and participants were threatened by the opposition. Keeping the chain unified for hours also proved difficult. But its success was an "energy booster for other initiatives towards positive change," Hammoud said. "For the first time ever, I sat on the streets, and I felt more at home than in my actual house," Khawam said. "This human chain was a proof of all of that. Today was officially the best day of my life."

No end in sight for Lebanon anti-government protests

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yahoo.com -- Hashem Osseiran and Anwar Amro -- Beirut (AFP) - Demonstrators across Lebanon blocked roads and took to the streets Saturday for a 10th consecutive day, defying what they said were attempts by Hezbollah to defuse their movement and despite tensions with the army. The protesters -- who have thronged Lebanese towns and cities since October 17 -- are demanding the removal of the entire political class, accusing politicians of all stripes of systematic corruption. Troops clashed with protesters who were trying to block a main road in the Beddawi area near the northern port city of Tripoli on Saturday, according to the state-run National News Agency. At least six civilians were wounded, NNA said.

The army said five soldiers and several civilians were wounded when it intervened to stop a fight between area residents and people blocking the road with their cars. Troops were ultimately "forced" to fire live and rubber bullets into the air when clashes intensified, the military said in a statement. Prime Minister Saad Hariri called for an investigation into the incident, which has come amid what have otherwise been largely peaceful protests. Demonstrators' numbers have declined since October 20, when hundreds of thousands took over Beirut and other cities in the largest demonstrations in years. - 'We have alternatives' -

The chief of the powerful Shiite movement Hezbollah on Friday called on his supporters to leave the streets, warning that any cabinet resignation would lead to "chaos and collapse" of the economy. Hassan Nasrallah's statement sowed divisions among Hezbollah supporters, some of whom were still protesting on Saturday. Hassan Koteiche, 27, from a Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut, said he agreed with most of Nasrallah's "excellent" speech, but had some reservations. "This does not mean we are against his discourse but there is a divergence in opinion," he told AFP. "The main thing I disagree with is his belief that if the government or parliament falls then we would have no alternative," he added. "That is not true. We have alternatives. We have noble and uncorrupt people," who can govern.

Main roads remained closed across the country on Saturday. Security forces said they have deployed across the country to open key routes. The measure came after Lebanon's top security agencies launched an army-led "plan" on Saturday to clear road blocks. An army spokesman told AFP that security forces would negotiate with protesters, without resorting to violence. Northeast of Beirut, dozens of demonstrators formed a human chain to prevent the army from removing a dirt berm blocking a seaside road. In central Beirut, they sat cross-legged on a key artery that connects the capital to its suburbs and surrounding regions. Demonstrators who had slept in tents near Martyrs Square said they were still defiant. "We will stay on the streets," said Rabih al-Zein, a 34-year-old from the Shiite stronghold of Tyre in southern Lebanon. "The power of the people is stronger than the power of the parties." Lebanon's largely sectarian political parties have been wrong-footed by the cross-communal nature of the mostly peaceful protests. Waving Lebanese flags rather than the partisan colours normally paraded at demonstrations, protesters have been demanding the resignation of all of Lebanon's political leaders. In attempts to calm the anger, Hariri has pushed through a package of economic reforms, while President Michel Aoun suggested banking secrecy should be lifted from the accounts of high-ranking officials.

- Counter-demonstrations -

In recent days, loyalists of Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement have mobilised counter-demonstrations across the country, sparking scuffles with demonstrators and journalists. The Iran-backed Hezbollah is a member of Lebanon's ruling coalition and represented in government, and it is the only movement not to have disarmed after the country's 15-year civil war. It is considered a terrorist organisation by Israel and the United States. Hundreds of its supporters gathered in the group's strongholds in Beirut's southern suburbs and the southern cities of Nabatiyeh and Tyre after Nasrallah's speech, brandishing party flags.

In Nabatiyeh on Saturday, dozens of anti-government demonstrators returned to the streets, with a protester saying he was counting on the army and security forces to protect them from party loyalists. In a suburb north of Beirut, dozens of FPM loyalists staged a counter demonstration to express their support for the embattled Aoun. Lebanon's devastating civil war ended back in 1990 but many of its current political leaders are former commanders of wartime militias, most of them recruited on sectarian lines. Persistent deadlock between them has stymied efforts to tackle the deteriorating economy, while the eight-year war in neighbouring Syria has compounded Lebanon's crisis. More than a quarter of Lebanon's population lives in poverty, according to the World Bank.