The Beddawi highway (North Lebanon) cut off by protesters with burnt tires, Feb. 17, 2023. (Courtesy of: Michel Hallak)
BEIRUT — Demonstrators blocked roads in Tripoli Friday morning to protest against deteriorating living conditions, as the economic crisis continues to sink the lira to new all-time lows.
People also held protests in front of banks, a day after some demonstrators set fire to bank branches in Beirut and the north.
Since the early hours of the morning, protesters blocked roads at the highway Beddawi in Tripoli with burning tires and dumpsters, L'Orient Today's correspondent in the north reported.
Later in the morning, municipal employees from Tripoli and its surroundings also cut off the road in front of two Bank Audi branches, at the city's Azmi crossing and in the Mina neighborhood.
Protesters in front of a Bank Audi branch in Tripoli, Feb. 17, 2023. (Courtesy of: Michel Hallak)
They said their protest in front of the banks would continue until they can receive their salaries at the rate of the Sayrafa platform set up by the central bank, and warned of an escalation on Monday if their demands are not met.
The protests come after a day of anger in Lebanon on Thursday, during which banks were burned in the Badaro neighborhood of Beirut and others ransacked in Tripoli, while the Lebanese lira broke a new record of depreciation, trading at more than LL80,000 against the dollar.
Illegal restrictions have been imposed by banks since 2019, when the economic crisis began in Lebanon. Banks began an open strike on Feb. 7. Only ATMs are operational.
Additional reporting by Michel Hallak