17 October Revolution

Not to be confused with October Revolution.

17 October Protests
Part of the Second Arab Spring
Protesters outside of Riad Al Solh Square in Beirut on 19 October 2019
Date17 October 2019 (2019-10-17) – Ambiguous
Location
Several Cities across Lebanon
Caused by
Methods
Resulted in
Parties

Protesters:
(no centralised authority)

Political Establishment:

All establishment political parties[2]
Lead figures

Non-centralized leadership

Lebanon Michel Aoun
Lebanon Nabih Berri
Lebanon Najib Mikati (Since 10 September 2021)
Lebanon Hassan Diab (21 January 2020 – 10 September 2021)
Lebanon Saad Hariri (17 October 2019 – 21 January 2020)
Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah
Gebran Bassil
Fouad Siniora
Walid Jumblatt
Samir Geagea
Taymur Jumblatt
Riad Salameh
Suleiman Frangieh Jr.

Casualties and losses
11 killed and 1,488+ injured[3][4][5][6][7][8]
1 policeman killed and 168 police injured[9]
3 civilians killed in related violence[10]
7 killed and 32 wounded in related clashes[11]

The 17 October Protests, commonly referred to as the 17 October Revolution or Hirak[13] (Arabic: ثورة 17 تشرين الأول, romanized: thawrat 17 tishrīn al-ʾawwal, lit. '17 October revolution'),[14] were a series of civil protests in Lebanon that began after the Lebanese cabinet announced financial measures on 17 October 2019.[15] These national protests were triggered by planned taxes on gasoline, tobacco, and VoIP calls on applications such as WhatsApp,[16][17][18] but quickly expanding into a country-wide condemnation of sectarian rule,[19] the stagnation of the economy, unemployment (which reached 46% in 2018[20]), endemic corruption in the public sector,[19] legislation that was perceived to shield the ruling class from accountability (such as banking secrecy)[21][22] and failures of the government to provide basic services such as electricity, water, and sanitation.[23]

The protests created a political crisis in Lebanon, with Prime Minister Saad Hariri tendering his resignation, not demanding any new governmental needs of being the prime minister and echoing protesters' demands for a government of independent specialists.[24] A cabinet headed by Hassan Diab was formed in 2020 but also resigned in the wake of the 2020 Beirut explosion.

  1. ^ "Nasrallah: Lebanon is facing two major menaces; the first is the financial and economic collapse and the second is the Lebanese people's rage at the political elite". MTV Lebanon. 2019-10-19. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
  2. ^ K, Christie (2019-11-07). "Tripoli Will Remove All Political Posters From its City!". The961. Archived from the original on 2019-11-28. Retrieved 2019-11-28.
  3. ^ Georgy, Michael (2020-08-09). "Lebanese protesters storm ministry buildings as anger over Beirut blast grows". Reuters – via www.reuters.com.
  4. ^ "OHCHR | Press briefing note on Lebanon".
  5. ^ "عضو بلدية الشويفات علاء أبو فخر يسقط بالرصاص تحت جسر خلدة". An-Nahar. Archived from the original on 2019-11-13. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
  6. ^ "Anger breaks out after two die in roadblock crash". The Daily Star. 2019-11-25. Archived from the original on 2019-11-27. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference 540injured was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference 10killed was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Suleiman Al-Khalidi (2020-08-08). MacSwan, Angus (ed.). "Lebanese policeman killed in clashes with demonstrators in Beirut: police". Reuters. Reporting by Laila Bassam – via www.reuters.com.
  10. ^ "Lebanon's worsening fuel crisis spurs violence, leaves three dead". Al Jazeera. 2021-08-09.
  11. ^ "Beirut port blast: Gunfire erupts at protest against judge leading probe". BBC. 2021-10-14.
  12. ^ SECURITIES, PT INDO PREMIER (2019-10-20). "Tens of thousands protest in Lebanon for third day". IPOTNEWS (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2019-10-23.
  13. ^ "The Islamic Group and Lebanon's Popular Uprising* | Al Jazeera Centre for Studies". studies.aljazeera.net. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
  14. ^ "عام على 17 تشرين.. ثورة الاستثمار السياسي!". Lebanon24 (in Arabic). Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  15. ^ "The unprecedented mass protests in Lebanon explained". 2019-11-11.
  16. ^ "Lebanese govt to charge USD 0.20 a day for WhatsApp calls". The Daily Star. 2019-10-17. Archived from the original on 2020-06-09. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  17. ^ "Protests erupt in Lebanon over plans to impose new taxes". aljazeera.com. 2019-10-18. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  18. ^ "Lebanon: WhatsApp tax sparks mass protests". DW. Deutsche Welle. 2019-10-10. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  19. ^ a b "Lebanon Protesters Found Strength in Unity, Ditched Sectarianism". Report Syndication. 2019-10-27.
  20. ^ "Jobless rate at 46 pct, president warns | Business, Local | THE DAILY STAR". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 2019-09-15. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  21. ^ "Protesters march from Al Nour Square to Central Bank in Tripoli". MTV Lebanon. 2019-10-22. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
  22. ^ "Protesters block Karakoul Druze-Mar Elias road". MTV Lebanon. 2019-10-22. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
  23. ^ Khraiche, Dana (2019-10-17). "Nationwide Protests Erupt in Lebanon as Economic Crisis Deepens". Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg News. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  24. ^ Kabboul, Tamarah (2019-11-01). "Lebanese Protesters Addressed President Aoun with an Urgent Demand/". THE961. Archived from the original on 2019-12-31. Retrieved 2019-11-24.