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Lebanon paralysed by 'WhatsApp tax' protests
Source: Associated Press
Lebanon paralysed by 'WhatsApp tax' protests
Associated Press in Lebanon
Fri 18 Oct 2019 15.24 BST
Last modified on Fri 18 Oct 2019 16.50 BST
Nationwide protests have paralysed Lebanon as demonstrators blocked major roads on a second day of rallies against the government’s handling of a severe economic crisis.
The protests, the largest since 2015, could further destabilise a country whose economy is already on the verge of collapse and carries one of the highest debt loads in the world.
Some of the protesters said they would remain on the streets until the government resigns.
“We are here today to ask for our rights. The country is corrupt, the garbage is all over the streets and we are fed up with all this,” said Loris Obeid, a protester in central Beirut.
The trigger for the protests was the news on Thursday that the government was planning, among other measures, to impose a tax on WhatsApp calls – a decision it later withdrew.
-snip-
Associated Press in Lebanon
Fri 18 Oct 2019 15.24 BST
Last modified on Fri 18 Oct 2019 16.50 BST
Nationwide protests have paralysed Lebanon as demonstrators blocked major roads on a second day of rallies against the government’s handling of a severe economic crisis.
The protests, the largest since 2015, could further destabilise a country whose economy is already on the verge of collapse and carries one of the highest debt loads in the world.
Some of the protesters said they would remain on the streets until the government resigns.
“We are here today to ask for our rights. The country is corrupt, the garbage is all over the streets and we are fed up with all this,” said Loris Obeid, a protester in central Beirut.
The trigger for the protests was the news on Thursday that the government was planning, among other measures, to impose a tax on WhatsApp calls – a decision it later withdrew.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/18/lebanon-brought-to-a-standstill-by-protests-over-economic-crisis