The “Coordination committee of the Lebanese Revolution” issued a statement on Tuesday evening urging all protesters to open” the roads starting Wednesday early morning after the revolution succeeded in within 13 days of protest in achieving its first demand which is the resignation of the government despite the campaign of intimidation. ”
The resignation of the government opens the door to achieving other demands starting with the formation of a national salvation government able to take the country out of its crisis and meet the demands made for the revolution, and to conduct early parliamentary elections “, The statement added .
It called on the protesters open the roads as a gesture of goodwill to allow the public to secure vital and essential needs
It also called on”the Lebanese to continue the protests until all the demands are met”.
Here is the Statement in Arabic
This development comes after Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced he was resigning on Tuesday, succumbing to the demands of protesters who have staged nationwide demonstrations for nearly two weeks.
On October 17, the government proposed imposing a tax on Whatsapp calls, along with other austerity measures, sparking nationwide protests that paralyzed the country.
Lebanon has been under lock-down since the protests began. Banks and schools have been closed for 13 days, while protesters blocked major routes throughout the tiny eastern Mediterranean nation.
“I can’t hide this from you. I have reached a dead-end,” Hariri said in his resignation speech.
“To all my political peers, our responsibility today is how to protect Lebanon and to uplift the economy,” he added. “Today, there is a serious opportunity and we should not waste it.”
“It is time for us to have a big shock to face the crisis,” he said. “To all partners in political life, our responsibility today is how we protect Lebanon and revive its economy.”
Protesters are calling for a new non-sectarian system, with “All Means All” a key slogan of the movement.
Chaos in downtown Beirut
Hariri’s announcement came hours after chaos broke out in downtown Beirut when a mob stormed into the capital’s main protest site, setting parts of it alight and tearing up tents on Tuesday afternoon.
Shouting “Shia, Shia” and singing chants in support of Hezbollah and Amal ( another Iranian backed Lebanese political party which is aligned with Hezbollah ) hundreds of men wielding sticks poured into the site, breaking up protest road closures and attacking demonstrators. Police fired dozens of rounds of tear gas to disperse the crowds.
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