Lebanese protesters defy coronavirus lockdown as politicians meet for first time in six months

Protests resumed across Lebanon on Tuesday despite confinement measures, as legislators met for a three-day session. Demonstrators and parliamentarians obeyed social-distancing rules as Parliament met for the first time since anti-government demonstrations swept the country last October. Protesters wearing gloves and masks drove in convoys around Beirut and MPs moved to a huge theatre called the Unesco Palace to let members sit further apart. These were the first protests in Beirut since confinement measures were imposed, despite sporadic demonstrations outside the capital in the past weeks as Lebanon’s financial crisis worsens. “People are very angry,” said Dania, a protester who was driving in Beirut’s convoy of about 50 cars, waving a Lebanese flag through her sunroof. "All of us, the poor and the rich, have lost half of our fortune." The value of the local currency has plummeted from the official rate of 1,507.5 to 3,250 against the US dollar on the grey market. Signs of a cash crunch appeared last summer and Lebanon defaulted on its foreign debt for the first time, in early March. “We want to make a statement to tell the government and political parties that we are here and we are coming back,” said Khodor Eido, who lost his job as a chef after restaurants closed last month over fears of Covid-19. “MPs have been on a paid vacation and are not looking after their people. "Prices of products in supermarkets are going up by 60 to 70 per cent and the economy minister says it’s normal because the rate of the dollar is increasing fast." Protesters said they would keep demonstrating until Thursday, despite recent government efforts to restrict traffic by introducing a system that allows cars on the road only every other day. Tight security was in place for the Beirut convoy, which was filmed by policemen with cameras secured to the tops of their cars. Demonstrators oppose the choice of the 66 bills that MPs met to debate on Tuesday. “We are protesting for two reasons: what is on the agenda of today’s parliamentary session and what is not on the agenda,” said Fouad Debs, a lawyer and activist who took part in the convoy. “We are in the midst of a severe financial, social, environmental and sanitary crisis and less than 10 per cent of the 66 laws are about those issues." Mr Debs said one law concerned changing the name of a village in Mount Lebanon and another regulated chiropractic practices. “This is absurd,” he said. The most controversial laws to be examined by MPs over the next three days are two amnesty draft bills. Politicians have discussed the possibility of pardoning thousands of detainees for years as a quick fix to reduce overcrowding in Lebanese jails, which hold more than twice their intended capacity. But it remains sensitive as political parties try to satisfy their constituents while excluding Lebanon’s most dangerous prisoners from the amnesty. In November, the last time the parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri tried to convene MPs, to discuss an amnesty law, thousands of protesters blocked roads leading to Parliament, forcing him to cancel the session. Protesters say Mr Berri is using the amnesty law to protect the interests of the political class, and that legislators should focus on increasing the Lebanese judiciary’s independence. “It’s a broad law that could include financial crimes and environmental crimes,” Mr Debs said. “This is beyond unacceptable.” Member of Parliament Michel Moussa, who worked on one of the amnesty laws and is a member of Mr Berri’s bloc, dismissed the accusations as rumours. “The law would exclude murderers, money launderers and people who plotted against the state’s interests,” Mr Moussa said. He said an amnesty law was necessary to free up space in prisons, especially amid fears that Covid 19 could sweep through them. Mr Moussa was cautious about the amnesty law's chances of being passed. “There are people against and people for it," he said. "We’ll discuss it and see what happens.”

Lebanese protesters defy coronavirus lockdown as politicians meet for first time in six months

Legislators hold first legislative session since protests swept the country last year.