On day 103, security forces attack protesters outside parliament
- In a bid to obstruct the parliamentary session, protesters attempted to block nearby roads and bypass barbed wires lining the entrance to parliament. Security forces, including the army’s elite Commando Regiment, violently pushed away and attacked protesters with batons in the heavily blocked downtown Beirut. Protesters threw rocks at security forces in response.
- The Lebanese Red Cross announced 27 injuries, and the Lawyers’ Committee for the Defense of Protesters stated that there were 11 detainees, many of whom were beaten up by security forces. All detainees were released as of 6 pm.
- Protesters denounced the session’s unconstitutionality, as the new government is yet to gain the parliament’s vote of confidence.
Parliament endorses former government’s state budget
- Parliament endorsed the 2020 state budget drafted by the previous Hariri government on Monday’s session. Despite parliament having set aside two days to discuss the budget, they endorsed it in a short amount of time. Cameras were turned off before the vote, against parliamentary bylaws.
- 49 MPs from blocs loyal to Hezbollah, FPM, Amal, SSNP, and Marada, in addition to Nicolas Nahas and Adnan Traboulsi, voted in support. 13 MPs, including the Future Movement bloc, opposed it and eight MPs abstained. A number of MPs and parliamentary blocs, including the Lebanese Forces and Kataeb, boycotted the session because of its unconstitutionality.
Protesters return to Central Bank and public institutions, saying “no trust”
- Protesters gathered later in the evening outside the Central Bank in Hamra and marched to the Ministry of Finance, denouncing the financial policies. They continued towards downtown Beirut.
- Under the slogan “No Trust,” protesters also flocked to the Serails in Hermel and Tyre. Under the same slogan, a group of protesters in Nabatieh marched from the Nabatieh Serail towards the town’s Central Bank branch.
REPOSTED FROM @Megaphonenews