Iran Press/Middle East: Demonstrators and police clashed in Lebanon on Thursday as thousands of people rallied against the government's handling of an economic crisis, in one of the biggest protests the country has seen in years.
The Lebanese government backed down from plans, announced just hours earlier, to tax voice calls made through the Facebook-owned WhatsApp messaging software as people vented their anger at the political elite in the second nationwide protests in less than a month.
According to a Reuters report, protesters blocked roads across Lebanon with burning tires and security forces fired tear gas at demonstrators in central Beirut early on Friday.
According to Lebanese media, dozens of people were wounded in the clashes between protesters and police. Lebanon's internal security forces said 60 police officers were wounded.
Violent protests break up in Lebanon
Throughout Thursday night, crowds gathered in Beirut's Riad al-Solh square, some waving Lebanese flags, and singing.
"The people want to topple the government," they chanted.
The protests have been fuelled by stagnant economic conditions exacerbated by a financial crisis.
The Lebanese government, which has declared a state of "economic emergency", is seeking ways to narrow its gaping budget deficit.
Lebanon faces high debt, low economic growth, crumbling infrastructure, and reduced capital inflows. The Lebanese pound pegged against the dollar for two decades, has been under pressure.
Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri's government of national unity is seeking to approve a 2020 budget, a step that may help it unlock billions of dollars pledged by international donors.
But donors want to see Beirut implement long-delayed economic reforms to combat waste and corruption.
Violent protests break up in Lebanon
The education ministry said schools would close on Friday after the protests. Public administration employees declared a strike so that workers could join protests expected for Friday.
The government unveiled a new revenue-raising measure earlier on Thursday, agreeing on a charge of 20 cents a day for calls via voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP), used by applications including WhatsApp, Facebook calls and FaceTime.
Information Minister Jamal al-Jarrah said ministers are discussing a proposal to raise the value-added tax (VAT) by 2 percentage points in 2021 and a further 2 percentage points in 2022 until it reaches 15%.
But as protests spread across Lebanon, Telecoms Minister Mohammad Choucair told journalists the proposed levy on WhatsApp calls had been canceled, and the government had decided to back down. 101/211/216
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