SEGOVIA, SPAIN – Segovian locals react to the ongoing Lebanese protest that has been occurring in Madrid since Oct.16.
After 30 years of being brainwashed, the Lebanese citizens in Spain gathered up in Madrid for the fourth time on Nov. 2nd to protest against the corruption in their government.
On Saturday, Lebanese citizens gathered once again at Retiro Park in Madrid to continue the ongoing protest to express their mutual opinion on their current Government status.
“The main reason for the ongoing protests in Madrid is because of the devasting wildfires and tax increase announced by the government on Oct. 16,” stated Teresa Rivera, a 24 year old woman that mentioned her interest in the news.
On the 8th day of the revolution, the Lebanese president tried to create peace in the nation by providing possible solutions to the problems announced by the protestors. However, the protest still continues to this date.
“The solutions that the president brought up in his speech didn’t seem like good solutions to solve the issues, and we don’t believe the government at all,” mentioned Shadi, a 45 year old man working at Tuma.
According to CNN, the wildfires that spread across Lebanon burned down 30% of Lebanon’s green space, and it took the Lebanese government 26 hours to stop the fires permanently.
Due to the recent wildfires that occurred in Lebanon on the 15th of October, followed by the taxation increase on the 16th of October, “the country seems extremely divided, as the government and the citizens are working together,” announced Mercedes, a married woman walking with her two children.
According to the BBC, Lebanon had to ask Jordan and Cyprus for help, as the fire helicopters they purchased in 2009 weren’t operating, and the government wasn’t willing to pay $450,000 to fix them.
“One of the constant issues in Lebanon is that the wages are extremely low, and the taxes are getting higher every year,” ranted Numan Al Mousa, a Jordanian citizen who has a Lebanese roommate. “This is why the Lebanese citizens are protesting against the taxation increase on Whatsapp, which is supposed to be a free social media app for everyone.”
According to the Guardian, Lebanese citizens are protesting in different countries all around the world, making sure their voices are heard. Australia, Canada, France, Jordan, Morocco, and Sweden are just a few countries to mention.
“From what I have seen on the news, the protests that are taking place worldwide just go to show how the Lebanese citizens care for their country, and how they’re supporting their people back home that are protesting against the government,” added Pablo, a 34 year old Businessman.
“The government consists of 13 ministers, and only four of them resigned by Oct 18th, which was just two days into the start of the revolution. However, after today, Oct.28, all 13 of the ministers have resigned from the government,” mentioned Abdullah Kuraydli-Ebeid, a 20 year old Lebanese citizen that attended all four protests in Madrid. “This just goes to show how effective the protests have been not only in Madrid, but around the world.
