by middleeastmonitor.com -- A demonstration in support of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement was cancelled in Lebanon yesterday because of sectarian clashes that took place in the country. A demonstration of Lebanese youth organizations that was scheduled in front of the American embassy in Awkar was cancelled due to sectarian clashes that took place yesterday, while the Speaker of Parliament considered that “any call promoting sedition has a Hebrew voice.” The youth demonstration that was scheduled at 11am in front of the US embassy to support US protests following George Floyd’s murder and condemn US interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs, was cancelled due to the tense security conditions. No new date was set for the protests. African-American Floyd died in Minneapolis on 25 May after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes suffocating him.

by arabnews.com -- NAJIA HOUSSARI -- BEIRUT: A prominent member of the Lebanese engineering and construction sector has warned of dire consequences if the industry collapses. Maroun El-Helou, chairman of the Syndicate of Contractors of Public Works and Buildings, said: “The collapse, if it occurs, will directly affect 700 contracting companies, 300 consulting firms, and 15,000 engineers working in companies or as freelancers in the public and private sectors. The collapse will affect 3,000 engineering offices and subcontractors and more than 150,000 administrators, technicians, and workers, in addition to workers in all other construction-related jobs.” El-Helou warned that a collapse could lead to “an exodus of skilled and specialized manpower as well as unemployment and starvation in Lebanon.”

The accumulated amount owed to contractors, engineers and consultants by the Lebanese government is approximately $600 million. El-Helou said: “The irregular payments, plus the lack of a clear roadmap for state action in light of the exceptional conditions that Lebanon is experiencing has put all projects in limbo. This will be directly reflected by the decline of environmental, health and living conditions. The investments and projects will be lost because of the government’s lack of seriousness in dealing with the burning issues.” Most of the projects carried out by contractors under the Council for Development and Reconstruction are related to infrastructure such as roads and water. El-Helou said, “There are 18 projects under construction and we demanded the cancellation of contracts for these projects. The projects are worth about $150 million and were funded locally.

by thenational.ae -- Lebanon needs urgent international help and long-demanded reforms to shield its people from their country's worst ever economic crunch, the International Crisis Group said on Monday. "Lebanon will need emergency external assistance to ward off the worst social consequences of the crisis," the Brussels-based think tank wrote in a new report. "The economic crisis is without precedent in the country's history," the ICG said.

The Mediterranean country's economy has been in freefall since last year, partly sparking mass protests from October against an entrenched political class viewed as inept and corrupt. The local currency has plunged in value, prices have soared, and tens of thousands have lost their jobs or seen their salaries slashed - all compounded from mid-March by a coronavirus lockdown. The heavily indebted country defaulted for the first time in March. The government has since adopted an economic recovery plan and entered talks with the International Monetary Fund, seeking to unlock billions of dollars in aid. "Lebanon needs to urgently push ahead with the negotiations with the IMF, on which support from other sources also depends," the ICG warned.

by AFP --  “No to Hezbollah, no to its weapons,” said a sign held up by Sana, a female protester from Nabatiyeh, a city in southern Lebanese, a Hezbollah stronghold. “Weapons should be only in the hands of the army,” said the 57-year-old. Supporters and opponents of Hebzollah threw stones at each other, prompting the army to intervene by forming a human chain to separate them, an AFP photographer said. Supporters of Hezbollah, which is also represented in the government and parliament, chanted: “Shi’ite, Shi’ite.” Security forces also fired teargas near a street leading into the parliament building behind Martyrs Square, after some demonstrators pelted them with stones and ransacked shops in the area.

by aljazeera.com -- by Timour Azhari -- Beirut, Lebanon - Thousands of anti-government protesters filled a main square in downtown Beirut to voice their discontent at the slow pace of reforms in the crisis-hit country. The peaceful demonstration - the largest in some three months after the country eased a nationwide lockdown aimed at stemming the spread of COVID-19 - devolved into clashes between protesters, counter-protesters and security forces. The Lebanese Red Cross said 37 protesters had been injured, of which 11 were taken to hospitals for treatment.

Demonstrations have been taking place in Lebanon since October, when more than a million people burst onto the streets to demand a solution to the ailing economy, an end to rampant corruption and the downfall of civil war-era politicians. "We had a small break during coronavirus [lockdown], but we're back," Mario Sawaya, a 65-year-old retiree, told Al Jazeera from Beirut's Martyr's Square. He said the government of Hassan Diab, which gained confidence in February after protesters toppled the government of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, had failed to show it could take strong independent decisions. "I don't think they're humans, because humans are defined by a conscience and values. They do not have any of that. This isn't a government, it's a zoo," Sawaya said. Saturday's protest saw a more mixed crowd than previous demonstrations, after former governing parties, with a majority-Christian support base that now finds itself in the opposition, called on their supporters to participate. Some called for the removal of the arsenal of Shia Hezbollah, a powerful Iran-backed militia and political force.

Most protest groups have pushed back, focusing on immediate reform - such as a new electoral law that reverses deep gerrymandering and the independence of the country's judiciary - before tackling such divisive issues. Clashes ensued when dozens of counter-protesters, who support Hezbollah and its main Shia ally the Amal Movement, emerged from a neighbourhood near Martyr's Square and shouted sectarian slogans. Hundreds of protesters ran towards them and hurled rocks and sticks at thick lines of riot police and soldiers. The protesters were pushed back but they clashed with security forces for several hours. Protesters set fires on main roads and at one point destroyed police motorbikes and set one alight.