Angry Youth Block Roads to Protest Rising Fuel Prices

Angry citizens blocked several roads with burning tires on Wednesday night, the same day taxi and bus drivers drove their vehicles in a long queue to protest the rise in gasoline prices.

At midnight, youth blocked a road in Beirut’s Beshara al-Khoury district but then dispersed when security forces arrived at the scene of the incident.

A group of youth in Aley blocked the Sofar-Dahr al-Baidar highway with burning tires for more than an hour on Wednesday night. Security forces later opened the road, but protests renewed after 10:00 pm when protestors blocked the entrance of the town.

Angry residents also burned tires in Nabatiyeh and Hboush.

The action of drivers on Wednesday consisted of a convoy of vehicles which traveled to a number of ministries honking horns to express discontent.

The prices of 98 Octane and 95 Octane rose to LL36,600 and LL35,900 respectively, after undergoing a LL500 price hike. Diesel rose to LL31,100.

Informed sources ruled out to An Nahar daily any new agreement within the caretaker cabinet to solve the problem similar to a previous deal to decree a gas tax cut of LL5,000.

Wednesday’s actions, in addition to a May 19 protest that the labor sector is planning to hold, further complicate the political crisis.