Use BBC.com or the new BBC App to listen to BBC podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service outside the UK.

Find out how to listen to other BBC stations

Episode details

World Service,25 Oct 2019,53 mins

Mass protests in Lebanon

The Real Story

Available for over a year

This week millions of people were out on the streets of Lebanon demanding change. A lack of jobs, crumbling public services, rising living costs and rampant inequality had brought out people from all sections of the society. The proposed budget with more taxes, including one on WhatsApp, is seen as the straw that broke the camel’s back. Since the end of a fifteen year long civil war, Lebanon has relied on a unique set of arrangements to maintain peace and a balance of power among its various sects. But under the banner of 'everyone means everyone' the protesters are turning on the political class as a whole and uniting across sectarian divides. So is Lebanon in the midst of a revolution? Julian Worricker and guests discuss what this uprising means for Lebanon and the region.

Programme Website
More episodes