The nationwide protests broke out after government announced at 22nd of October this year to rise taxes on gasoline, tobacco and online phone calls. Already on 29th of October the movement succeeded that the prime Minister Saad Hariri designated. The protests continue since then and reached another peak last weekend.
The situation of the Lebanese people is very bad, unemployment and poverty is increasing, while corruption within the ruling classes is getting more and more. Youth unemployment is at 37% and general unemployment at 25%. Even the water supply is private and drinking water is getting more expensive as well, there is no 24-hour electricity, eight-hour daily power rationing conts are common across the country. The coalition government led by Saad Hariri started an austerity program of general tax increase and spending reductions, which was a condition to get 10.2 billion of loans by the World Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. That means the bad condition of the people is product of aggravation of exploitation and oppression by the leading imperialist powers, mainly US imperialism and EU imperialists. The marionettes of the imperialists, who fulfill the interests of World Bank and Co., are the first target of the uprising people.
Police and military is trying to repress the protests of the people hard. Hundreds of demonstrators were injured and officially 20 police officers were injured as well. Police is using tear gas and water cannons against the protesters, the protesters use stones, build barricades and do blockades. The strength of the people is expressed in the protests against the government attacks on the people and the austerity measures from the imperialists. As we see currently in a lot of countries the peoples uprisings are a strong force and once again show that imperialism is the main enemy of the peoples today.
