The caretaker minister of social affairs and tourism, Ramzi Musharrafieh, told local media this week that 75% of Lebanese were in need of financial aid. He said the government gives 230,000 families a monthly stipend of 400,000 Lebanese pounds, less than $50 at the current market rate. Lebanon has a population of about 6 million.
The caretaker prime minister, Hassan Diab, said while the aid was not enough to cover needs, it helped “reduce the burdens”.
“You want to close the country? Provide people with what they need. It is not acceptable to lock people in their houses and leave them hungry,” Mehieddine Antar, a 45-year-old Imam of a mosque told Reuters while taking part in a protest against lockdown in Sidon this week.
“I went down [to protest] to fight those in power,” said Mohamed Fcheich, a demonstrator in Tripoli, who said he supports seven children. “When I go to the grocery shop to buy dinner for my children, I need to take a big bag of money – that is if there is money.”
Prime minister-designate, Saad al-Hariri, tweeted: “Nothing can justify the attack on private property, markets and public institutions.”
