On August 22 and 23, Beirut witnessed its largest protest in recent history, with 20,000 people gathering to tell the government that they s...
On August 22 and 23, Beirut witnessed its largest protest in recent history, with 20,000 people gathering to tell the government that they stink. nnLebanon's trash crisis started on July 17, when residents shut down the country's largest landfill in Naameh city. That landfill catered to areas of Beirut and Mount Lebanon -- almost half of the country's population.nnThe government's inability to resolve the trash crisis resulted in mountains of garbage piling up on the streets, forcing people to walk around wearing masks. nnThe "You Stink" movement kicked off calling for sustainable solutions to the waste problem, and got people on the streets, but the situation quickly escalated beyond trash towards addressing larger problems related to corruption within the current government.nnLebanon, which already suffers from poor infrastructure and daily electricity outages, has had no president for more than a year. In 2009, its parliament extended its term until 2017, with no elections, citing instability as a reason.nnIn this episode of GV Face we will talk to Global Voices contributor from Beirut Joey Ayoub, who has been working closely with the organizing committee of You Stink and Faten Bushehri, also a GV contributor, who has been covering the protests. Less
