In pictures: The fire and the fury of Lebanon’s nationwide protests

Protesters in Lebanon want to overhaul the political system that has been in place since the end of the civil war

Beirut

Wednesday 30 October 2019 17:42 GMT

Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests

Show all 16

1/16Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests

Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests

Protestors burn buildings in downtown Beirut

The protests in Lebanon began as a spontaneous burst of anger over new taxes. On October 17, mostly young men came on to the streets in the capital Beirut and across the country. They clashed with police and lit fires.

Richard Hall / The Independent

Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests

A large fire is constructed near Lebanon's parliament building

The new taxes included a levy on the messaging service WhatsApp. In a country where people were already struggling, it was the final nail in the coffin.

Richard Hall / The Independent

Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests

Protesters fight running battles with police

Protesters continued to clash with police into the second night. Downtown Beirut became a battleground as volleys of tear gas rained down on demonstrators.

Richard Hall / The Independent

Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests

The joker makes an appearance

By the third day, the mood changed. The violence of the first two nights ebbed and numbers swelled. People came out by their thousands across the country.

Richard Hall / The Independent

Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests

Protesters occupy an abandoned theatre in downtown Beirut

The protesters took control of the streets. They also reclaimed public space that had been off limits to them for years. This image was taken from a grand theatre in downtown Beirut that had been shuttered since the civil war.

Richard Hall / The Independent

Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests

Protesters look down from an abandoned building

Here, two protesters look towards downtown from the top of a building nicknamed "the egg" for its dome-like structure. It was part of a complex that was under construction when war broke out in 1975, and it has remained empty and off-limits ever since.

Richard Hall / The Independent

Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests

A protester faces off with a police officer

Women have played a key role in these protests. They have been on the frontline of demonstrations and sit-ins — which had a marked effect reducing violence. For the first week, police didn't know how to deal with them. In this picture, a woman police officer tries to negotiate with a protester to remove a road block. She was part of a team of women police officers sent out on this day.

Richard Hall / The Independent

Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests

A group of women resists police attempts to remove their sit-in

This image was taken during a police attempt to remove people from blocking a road. Again, the presence of woman at the front of the sit-in led to the police abandoning the attempt.

Richard Hall / The Independent

Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests

A woman chants at a roadblock protest on Beirut's ring road

Protesters said the road blocks were vital in keeping up pressure on the government. Without them, they would be ignored.

Richard Hall / The Independent

Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests

A living room is set up on one of Beirut's busiest roads

Some of the roadblocks were more relaxed than others.

Richard Hall / The Independent

Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests

Tens of thousands pack Tripoli's Nour Square

The protests may have started in Beirut, but they have sprung up around the country. This photograph was taken in Tripoli, Lebanon's second largest city. Protests there have outsized those in the capital Beirut. The city has been called the "bride of the revolution."

Richard Hall / The Independent

Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests

The crowd looks up as a singer performs for protesters in Tripoli's Nour Square

The scenes in Tripoli are even more remarkable given its recent history. For years it has been plagued by extremism and violence. These mass displays of unity in the city's main square every night have done a lot to counter other Lebanese citizens' perception of Tripoli.

Richard Hall / The Independent

Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests

Young men take photographs of protests in Tripoli's Nour Square

Tripoli is also one of Lebanon's poorest cities. The protests here have been fuelled by desperation of poor people struggling to get by.

Richard Hall / The Independent

Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests

Police protect protesters from Hezbollah supporters

But the protests have not been without their opponents. As demonstrations entered their second week, the Lebanese Hezbollah movement began to show anger at protesters for their demand that all Lebanon's political leaders stand down. In this image, police stand between protesters and a group of Hezbollah supporters in downtown Beirut. Clashes broke out when they left.

Richard Hall / The Independent

Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests

A group of Hezbollah and Amal supporters attacks peaceful protesters in Beirut

The worst violence of the protests came towards the end of the second week. Several hundred supporters of Hezbollah and its political ally Amal attacked protesters who were blocking the main ring road in Beirut. Afterwards, they stormed into downtown and destroyed a protest encampment.

Richard Hall / The Independent

Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests

Protesters pile tent poles in downtown Beirut after they were destroyed by Hezbollah and Amal supporters

But the protesters came back to the main square, made a mountain from the poles of destroyed tents and placed a flag in it. The same day, Lebanon's prime minister Saad Hariri resigned, given protesters their first major victory.

Richard Hall / The Independent

In just two weeks, protests in Lebanon have transformed the country.

What began as a spontaneous fit of anger over new taxes spiralled into the largest protest movement in more than a decade.

For the first time, the sectarian political order that has governed this eastern Mediterranean nation since the end of the civil war in 1990 is facing mass demonstrations aimed at its overthrow.

Tired of widespread corruption, a failing economy and a sectarian political system that perpetuates both of those things, protesters brought the country to a halt with roadblocks and mass rallies.

This week, Lebanon’s prime minister Saad Hariri resigned from his post in an effort to break the deadlock.

But it may not be enough to quell a movement that wants radical change.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies