Beirut (Union)
Yesterday, the Lebanese security forces confronted demonstrators who tried to storm the Government Serail in the center of the capital, Beirut, during a demonstration organized by retired soldiers, on the eve of the holy month of Ramadan.
Hundreds of retired soldiers carried out a vigil in front of the government headquarters, to protest the low value of their salaries in light of the continuous rise in the exchange rate of the dollar against the Lebanese pound, and to demand an improvement in their living conditions.
The vigil was called for by the “retired military movement,” and a number of retired officers and personnel from all Lebanese regions participated in it, amid intense security alert.
The call to demonstrate comes in light of the chaos and manipulation taking place in the exchange rate of the US dollar, which reached 145,000 pounds during the day yesterday, before it collapsed to settle at 110,000 pounds per dollar in the evening.
The demonstrators raised Lebanese flags and banners with their demands, amid a state of extreme anger at the situation in Lebanon.
The movement quickly developed into chaos between the demonstrators and the security forces, after a number of protesters attempted to storm the government palace.
Riot police intervened to repel the demonstrators and threw tear gas at them, which resulted in cases of suffocation and injuries among retired soldiers and security forces.
During the vigil, one of the retired soldiers read a statement on behalf of the “Coordination of Defense of the Rights of Retired Military Personnel,” which included several demands, the most important of which are: “Fixing their salaries at an exchange rate of 28,500 pounds, as was approved on the date of issuance of the 2022 budget.”
In the statement, the retirees called for allocating the necessary funds to cover hospitalization expenses 100% at the expense of the state for all military personnel, especially the internal security forces and the customs police, and covering school scholarships for retirees.
A delegation representing the demonstrators entered the Grand Serail, where they met with Prime Minister Najib Mikati and presented their demands to him.
A spokesman for the delegation, retired Brigadier General George Nader, said that Prime Minister Najib Mikati promised the protesters to study their demands in the cabinet session to be held at the beginning of next week, in order to “take the appropriate decisions.”
Public sector employees in Lebanon receive their salaries in dollars at an exchange rate determined by the Central Bank based on supply and demand, which was set by the bank’s governor, Riad Salameh, at 90,000 pounds per dollar on Tuesday.
In the context, the Association of Lebanese Medical Association employees in Beirut announced, yesterday, the open strike until its demands for improving their living conditions and salaries are met.
The association stated in a statement that the salaries of the employees are no longer sufficient for the transportation allowance to reach the workplace.
Yesterday, the Council of the Lebanese Pharmacists Syndicate called, in a statement, on pharmacies to “close due to the collapse that occurred without any indifference on the part of officials, and after companies and warehouses almost completely stopped delivering medicines to the pharmacy more than two weeks ago, and after the pharmacies were emptied of medicines.”
Since 2019, the Lebanese have been suffering an unprecedented severe economic crisis, which led to a record collapse in the value of the lira, as well as a scarcity of fuel and medicine and a collapse in purchasing power.
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