November 17th marked the one-month anniversary of the revolution. It was celebrated by thousands across squares in Beirut, Tripoli, Tyre, Baalbeck, Sidon, Taalabaya, Kfar Ruman, Qalamoun, and Nabatieh.
Protesters painted the walls of the Azarieh Building in Downtown Beirut, others cleaned up a tunnel in Mar Elias, and a women’s march was organized from Nabatieh to Kfar Ruman.
Independent candidate Melhem Khalaf was elected president of the Beirut Bar Association, the first independent candidate to win this post in a long time. In his speech, Khalaf stressed the importance of democracy and vowed to protect the rights and freedom of the people.
The Union of Bank Employees announced that banks will remain closed on Monday, thus continuing the strike into the next week while measures to address security concerns of bank employees are being met.
Reuters reported that the Association of Banks in Lebanon has agreed to set a temporary USD1,000 limit per week on withdrawals from USD bank accounts. The Association will also restrict hard cash transfers abroad limiting them to only covering urgent spendings.