Lebanese protest outside central bank amid economic crisis

By Wassim Saif Al-Din

BEIRUT (AA) - Angry protesters on Friday lit empty car tires in front of the Central Bank of Lebanon, while others tried to storm banks in the capital Beirut, amid a decision regarding deposits withdrawal.

Hundreds of Lebanese carried out a protest called for by the Cry of Depositors association in front of the central bank in Beirut, according to an Anadolu reporter.

The protesters fired firecrackers at the bank and set car tires on fire, while others tried to storm the Societe Generale Bank, adjacent to the Central Bank.

Security forces intervened to stop the chaos, according to Anadolu.

The United coalition, which emerged from the Nov. 17, 2019 protests, announced in a statement that depositors were trying to enter the house of the head of the BLC Bank's board of directors, Nadim Kassar, in the Jnah area, southwest of Beirut.

On Monday, the central bank issued a decision allowing commercial banks and money changers to sell the dollar at a price of 90,000 Lebanese pounds, then deal it over to citizens after three days, as an attempt to stop the collapse of the currency.

However, the depositors considered the decision “unjust,” especially after the price of the dollar reached about 145,000 pounds, on the black market.

Since 2019, Lebanon has been facing a crippling economic crisis that, according to the World Bank, is one of the worst the world has seen in modern times.

* Ikram Kouachi contributed to this report.