Lebanon: Economic Collapse Revives Anti-Government Protests

The economic and financial crisis that is hitting Lebanon has sparked a new wave of anti-government protests in the country's main cities.

RELATED:

Over 330 People Wounded in Lebanon After Clashes in Beirut

The demonstrators now focus on measures promised by the Central Bank to control the Lebanese pound's collapsed against the U.S. dollar.

In an attempt to calm the mood, the bank will start today to inject dollars in order to lower the exchange rate, the main cause of the deterioration in people's purchasing power.

Ninety per cent of workers are affected by the national currency's  exchange rate, which today stands at five thousand Lebanese pounds to one dollar.

The Future Stream and Lebanese Forces parties blame the government of Prime Minister Hassan Diab for turning a blind eye to attacks and vandalism committed by the protesters.

The dramatic crisis led to a popular uprising that went from peaceful to unusually violent with the destruction and fires in the capital city centre.

The devaluation pushed up the prices of food and basic items and the protesters blame it on the government's failure to implement reforms and fight corruption.