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Christina Has Had Enough

November 30, 2019

Christina is a student demonstrating against the old men who've run Lebanon into the ground. She's demanding reforms, but wants the protests to remain peaceful. So she and other women are positioning themselves between demonstrators and the police.

https://p.dw.com/p/3U0Um

Lebanon's former prime minister Saad Hariri stepped down in October. However that's not enough to satisfy protesters like Christina, a student in Lebanon. Corruption is ingrained throughout the government and public administration. For years the country's political elite were too busy lining their own pockets to worry about securing the power supply, ensuring garbage collection, or funding the health care system. Lebanon's economy is also in ruins. After the Lebanese Civil War ended in 1990 corruption flourished, because the various religious groups were each granted a certain proportion of the political power. While that ensured stability, it also bred corruption. Still, protesters like Christina aren't afraid of a return to religious conflict. At the demonstrations people of different faiths march side by side -- and usually it's women who are leading the way. They aren't only demanding political and economic reforms; they also hope to win more influence for themselves. A report by Anna Feist.