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2015–2016 Lebanese protests

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2015–2016 Lebanese protests
Martyr Square 29 August 2015
Date21 July 2015 – 2016
Location
Caused byGarbage problem
Sectarianism
Corruption
Unemployment
Political dysfunction
Power cuts
Water shortages
GoalsSolve garbage crisis
Proportional Electoral Law
Elect a new parliament
Overthrow the government
Investigation into actions of police brutality
MethodsDemonstrations
Sit-ins
Self-immolation[1]
StatusEnded
Parties
Protesters
Lead figures
Number
4000 (8 August)
18000 (22 August)
45000 (23 August)
120000 (29 August)
Casualties and losses
1 killed[2]
402 wounded
31 wounded

2015 Lebanese protests also known as the 'You Stink Protests'[1] or the 'You Stink Movement' (Arabic: مظاهرات طلعت ريحتكم ) were a series of protests in response to the government's failure to find solutions to a waste crisis caused by the closure of the Beirut and Mount Lebanon region waste dump in Naameh (south of Beirut) in July 2015. The closure led the region's waste company Sukleen to suspend collection causing piles of rubbish to fill the streets. A series of small but increasing protests, led by grassroots organization "You Stink!," were held throughout the summer, culminating in large protests in August. These attracted thousands of demonstrators but also saw scuffles with police.[3]

The protest were categorized by comical slogans and imaginative chants which mostly linked political figures to the crisis.[4][5][6] However, protesters were reported shouting a number of chants made popular during the Arab Spring uprisings across the region, including "Ash-shab yurid isqat an-nizam" (meaning "The people want to topple the regime").[citation needed]

The protests spawned the political campaign Beirut Madinati.[7]

Background

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The ‘National Strategy’ for waste management, drawn up in the years after the Lebanese civil war, saw all the waste from the Beirut, Mount Lebanon region going to a single landfill site.[8] The Naameh facility was opening in 1997 as a temporary, short term site that would take just two million tons of rubbish. 18 years later, the site had taken an estimated 15 million tons of waste.[9]

Despite knowing of the closure, the Lebanese government had no plan in place for dealing with the waste. This led waste contractors to suspend collection in July causing waste to pile up around the city.[10] On 27 August, Sukleen restarted collection but with no functioning dump sites, the waste was stored under bridges and on empty lots around the capital.[11]

While the protests began over the piles of trash around Beirut and the Mount Lebanon region, they expanded to issues of civil representation, corruption and government inefficiency.[12][13]

Protesters blamed Lebanese leaders, who according to them, did not have a long-term vision to solve the ecological issues affecting Lebanon. See Marine environmental issues in Lebanon.

Other issues include daily electricity blackouts, and political bickering that has kept Lebanon without a president from 2014 to 2016.[14]

Timeline of Events

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July 2015: Landfill Closure and Garbage Accumulation

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On July 17, 2015, the Naameh landfill south of Beirut was officially closed after years of overcapacity and mounting local opposition.[15] This decision had been anticipated by Lebanese officials, but no contingency plan was put in place.[16] The private contractor Sukleen halted collection, and trash began to pile up in Beirut and Mount Lebanon within days.[17]

August 2015: Protests Begin

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The “[You Stink (movement)/You Stink]” movement was launched on social media by a group of activists responding to the crisis.[18] On August 8, several hundred demonstrators gathered in Riad Al Solh Square in downtown Beirut.[19] By August 22 and 23, the crowds had grown to thousands, with widespread media coverage and increasing tensions with security forces.[20] On August 23, over 20,000 demonstrators rallied in central Beirut, demanding government accountability and an end to corruption.[21]

Security forces responded with tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets, and beatings, injuring hundreds.[22] The use of excessive force was condemned by human rights groups and further fueled public outrage.[23]

September 2015: Escalation and Demands

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In early September, protesters presented a list of demands, including the resignation of the Environment Minister, early parliamentary elections, and investigation into police violence.[15] Rallies continued, with some splinter groups accusing the organizers of being too moderate.[24] Internal divisions emerged among activists over strategy, and a minority of actions turned violent, though the majority remained peaceful.[19]

October–December 2015: Movement Plateaus

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By late 2015, the momentum of the movement had begun to decline. Protest fatigue, government inaction, and infighting within civil society contributed to lower turnout.[16] Authorities began limited waste removal by storing garbage under bridges and in temporary lots.[17] Meanwhile, Beirut Madinati was launched as a political campaign aiming to translate protest energy into municipal electoral victories.[18]

2016: Institutional Responses and Aftermath

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In 2016, a limited waste export plan was proposed but collapsed due to cost and corruption allegations.[15] The government eventually reopened other landfills, but long-term waste policy reform was not implemented.[21] While the movement failed to achieve institutional reform, it had lasting cultural and political impact, including influencing the October 2019 uprising.[25]

Political Reactions

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The Lebanese government’s early response to the protests was widely seen as fragmented and inadequate. While Prime Minister Tammam Salam expressed sympathy with the demonstrators, he also condemned the violent incidents that occurred during the rallies on 22 and 23 August 2015.[26] In the days that followed, he publicly admitted that the government was effectively paralyzed and warned that Lebanon was on the verge of collapse unless political consensus could be reached.[27]

During the height of the protests, the Free Patriotic Movement and Hezbollah largely refrained from commenting, while other political actors, including the Kataeb Party and some independent members of parliament, voiced support for the demonstrators’ demands.[28] Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk initially denied reports of excessive force used by police, but later announced an internal investigation after widespread footage of police violence was circulated on social media.[29]

Nabih Berri, Speaker of Parliament, acknowledged the seriousness of the waste crisis but criticized the protest movement for lacking practical solutions. He argued that genuine reform would have to come through existing parliamentary procedures.[30]

International responses included statements from foreign governments and international organizations. The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon called for inclusive dialogue and greater responsiveness to citizens' concerns, while countries such as the United States and Germany emphasized the importance of protecting the right to peaceful protest.[31]

Although the protests did not lead to major structural reforms, they did spur some limited official action. The Ministry of Environment introduced a proposal to export waste abroad, but the plan was eventually dropped due to logistical challenges and allegations of corruption.[32][33]

Scholars have argued that the deeply entrenched sectarian structure of Lebanon’s political system limited the movement’s ability to achieve concrete change. Nonetheless, the protests revealed the disruptive potential of cross-sectarian civic mobilization and unsettled the political elite.[34]


23 August 2015 demonstration

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Lebanese army units were deployed in central Beirut after the demonstration degenerated in street fighting between protesters and law enforcement.[35] The Lebanese Red Cross said it treated 402 people in Sunday's protest. About 40 people were taken to hospital.[36] Ambulances ferried out casualties after security forces fired tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon at demonstrators protesting against what they call Lebanon's "political dysfunction".[37] About 200 youths, some wearing scarves or masks to cover their faces, threw stones and bottles filled with sand at police and tried to pull down security barricades.[38] Some demonstrators burnt fires. A tree next to a church was set ablaze, road signs were pulled from the ground and shop fronts smashed.[39]

The protest, organized by an online group "You Stink!" along with other civil society groups,[40] attracted an estimated 20000[41] people on the streets of Riad El Solh Square in central Beirut.

By 29 August, more than 100.000 Lebanese took to the streets to manifest against the government's corruption. It began as small protest, but it has soon proved to become an uprising, with many protesters calling for a revolution.[42]


Reactions

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International

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Lebanese people in Germany express their support of the 2015 Lebanese protests in Berlin at Alexanderplatz, 29 August 2015
  • Bahrain: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs renewed its call to Bahraini citizens not to travel to the Lebanese Republic to ensure their security and safety, in view of the unstable security situation in the country, calling at the same time on citizens in Lebanon to leave immediately.[43]
  • Kuwait: On 23 August, the Kuwaiti Embassy called on its nationals to remain vigilant for their safety at all times. "Under the current critical circumstances, the Kuwaiti nationals in Lebanon are advised to cancel any unnecessary plans and leave," it said in a statement.[44]

Organisations

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  • Sigrid Kaag, The U.N. special coordinator for Lebanon, in a statement called for cabinet to resolve the crisis as quickly as possible.[45]
  • Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor: issued a press release documenting the use of excessive force against peaceful protesters by Lebanese authorities in September 2015. The Euro-med called for quick solutions to end the problem by providing a good public-health services which the residents of Lebanon deserve.[46]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "بالصور.... شاب يحرق نفسه امام سراي صيدا الحكومي". saidaonline.com (in Arabic). 23 August 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  2. ^ "Protester dies during demonstrations in Beirut". Al Jazeera English. 23 August 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  3. ^ Haines-Young, James (24 August 2015). "What does Beirut smell like? From the stench of trash to blood". Al Arabiya English. Al Arabiya English. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  4. ^ "Photos: 'You Stink' campaign decries more than garbage buildup in Beirut". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  5. ^ Arab, The New. "Top 10 #YouStink protest placards". alaraby. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  6. ^ "Lebanese Humor Ever-Present at Civil Society Demo". Naharnet. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  7. ^ "Beirut shocks its old guard: The established leaders are jolted by a party of protest". The Economist. 11 May 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  8. ^ "Lebanon's rubbish crisis, 40 years in the making". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  9. ^ "Lebanese protest against waste-disposal crisis". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  10. ^ "Sukleen suspends waste pickup in Beirut… again". The Daily Star Newspaper - Lebanon. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  11. ^ "Sukleen resumes trash collection as workers end strike". The Daily Star Newspaper - Lebanon. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  12. ^ ""You Stink" activist to LBCI: We will not stand still in face of corruption". www.lbcgroup.tv. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  13. ^ "Trash crisis sparks clashes over corruption, dysfunction in Lebanon". Washington Post. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  14. ^ "Protests in Lebanon: Talking trash". The Economist. 29 August 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  15. ^ a b c Abu-Rish, Ziad. “Garbage Politics.” Middle East Report, no. 277 (2015). merip.org
  16. ^ a b Assi, Abbas. Lebanon’s Protest Movements. Friedrich Naumann Foundation, 2021. freiheit.org
  17. ^ a b Beck, Martin. “Contextualizing the Current Social Protest Movement in Lebanon.” University of Southern Denmark, 2015. sdu.dk
  18. ^ a b “Lebanon’s ‘You Stink’ Protests.” Global Voices, 2015. globalvoices.org
  19. ^ a b Nasrallah, Monique M. “That Stinks: News Framing of a Corruption Scandal in Lebanon.” University of Washington, 2017. UW ResearchWorks
  20. ^ The Atlantic. “Lebanon’s ‘You Stink’ Anti-Government Protests.” August 2015. theatlantic.com
  21. ^ a b ReliefWeb. “Lebanon: Events 2015.” reliefweb.int
  22. ^ EuroMed Monitor. “Lebanese security forces using excessive force against protesters.” euromedmonitor.org
  23. ^ Human Rights Watch, cited in Kraidy, Marwan M. “Trashing the Sectarian System?” Communication and the Public, vol. 1, no. 1 (2016): 19–26. sagepub.com
  24. ^ Humena. “Scattered Victories and Building an Opposition Movement.” 2021. humena.org
  25. ^ Challand, Benoît. “Reframing Protests in the Arab Region.” Mediterranean Politics, vol. 24, no. 5, 2018. Taylor & Francis
  26. ^ “Lebanon: Events 2015.” ReliefWeb. reliefweb.int
  27. ^ Assi, Abbas. Lebanon’s Protest Movements. Friedrich Naumann Foundation, 2021. freiheit.org
  28. ^ Beck, Martin. “Contextualizing the Current Social Protest Movement in Lebanon.” University of Southern Denmark, 2015. sdu.dk
  29. ^ Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor. “Lebanese security forces using excessive force.” euromedmonitor.org
  30. ^ Abu-Rish, Ziad. “Garbage Politics.” Middle East Report, no. 277 (2015). merip.org
  31. ^ Global Voices. “Lebanon’s ‘You Stink’ Protests.” globalvoices.org
  32. ^ Nasrallah, Monique M. “That Stinks: News Framing of a Corruption Scandal in Lebanon.” University of Washington, 2017. UW ResearchWorks
  33. ^ The Atlantic. “Lebanon’s ‘You Stink’ Anti-Government Protests.” theatlantic.com
  34. ^ Kraidy, Marwan M. “Trashing the Sectarian System?” Communication and the Public, vol. 1, no. 1 (2016): 19–26. sagepub.com
  35. ^ Conlon, Kevin; Razek, Raja; Qiblawi, Tamara (24 August 2015). "Army deployed to Beirut after anti-government anger boils over". CNN.
  36. ^ Chulov, Martin; Shaheen, Kareem (24 August 2015). "Beirut rubbish protesters clash with police amid anger at political paralysis". The Guardian.
  37. ^ "Beirut rubbish protesters clash with police". BBC News. 22 August 2015.
  38. ^ "Many injured in Beirut 'You Stink' protest over rubbish". Aljazeera. 23 August 2015.
  39. ^ Bassam, Laila; Perry, Tom (23 August 2015). "Beirut protests turn violent for second day as PM threatens to quit". Reuters.
  40. ^ Saad, Hwaida (23 August 2015). "Clashes Break Out During Protests Over Trash Crisis in Lebanon". The New York Times.
  41. ^ El Deeb, Sarah; Karam, Zeina (29 August 2015). "Thousands of Lebanese protesters stage largest anti-government protest yet over trash crisis". U.S. News & World Report.
  42. ^ "Rubbish Revolution". Fanack.com. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  43. ^ "Ministry of Foreign Affairs renews its call to citizens not to travel to the Lebanese Republic". Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  44. ^ "Kuwait, Bahrain issue Lebanon travel warnings". Al Bawaba. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  45. ^ "U.N. urges restraint in Lebanon protests". alarabiya.net. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  46. ^ Monitor, Euro-Med. "Lebanese security forces using excessive force against protesters". Retrieved 25 September 2016.