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by Al -Jazeera -- Timour Azhari -- Beirut, Lebanon - A colorful mix of insults and allegations of nepotism, racism and corruption is how an average Lebanese protester would describe the country's former Minister of Foreign Affairs Gebran Bassil. He is not alone. Lebanon's entire ruling class has been targeted by protesters who took to the streets more than 100 days ago to demand an end to corruption and sectarian politics. He is one of the newer politicians on the bloc, having come to power after the country's 15-year civil war. But Bassil quickly rose to be a symbol the cynical sectarian politics and mismanagement that have dominated the post-war era.

Protesters point to his last 10 years in the government where he moved through the telecommunication, energy and foreign ministries and assumed leadership of one of the country's biggest parties, the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM). Lebanon has some of the highest telecommunications costs in the world, and the FPM has held the energy portfolio for a decade while the country remains without uninterrupted electricity supply. Bassil enjoys unwavering support from his Christian base, who see him as a shrewd hard worker and a protector of their rights in Lebanon. Member of Parliament Mario Aoun, a member of Bassil's FPM parliamentary bloc, told Al Jazeera that Bassil was being "targeted because of his successes".

Insults from the crowd

 When the protests against Lebanon's corrupt ruling elite broke out 100 days ago, crude chants were aimed at Bassil's mother. So severe were the insults that Bassil, in his first address after more than two weeks of uncharacteristic silence, apologized to his mother. "I'm so sorry that you were attacked because of me and it wasn't your fault. You taught me to love Lebanon," he said, addressing her in front of crowds of supporters at an organised rally on the outskirts of the capital Beirut. Before the protests, Bassil was widely expected to remain a top minister in government for a long time and was thought to be a serious contender for the presidency, a post currently held by his 84-year-old father-in-law, Michel Aoun.

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BEIRUT Reuters Tom Arnold — Lebanese consumers feeling the pinch from rising living costs amid an economic crisis are likely to be squeezed even tighter as more local pounds and less U.S. dollars come into circulation, pushing up inflation. Lebanon has long relied on a steady flow of dollars from its overseas diaspora to help fund its financial system. But that has been choked off as faith in the political elite crumbled. People have been hit by what economists estimate is a 30% annual rise in inflation during the crisis that escalated in October. The pound has collapsed against the U.S. dollar in the parallel market and a liquidity crunch has bitten. That slashed consumer purchasing power and prompted some to withdraw pounds from banks as unofficial capital controls shattered confidence in the banking system and restricted access to dollars.

Arlette Mattar, 54, a midwife and mother of three, has cut back to basics, eliminating sweets and restricting purchases of items like tissues and toiletries. "The cost of living is high now," she said outside a supermarket in a middle-class Beirut neighbourhood. "Now when I shop I get only what I need." While the pound, pegged against the dollar for 22 years, is the official currency, the greenback has long been used as an alternative for transactions. Some consumers who were buying with dollars say they now use pounds. "Today you know the most important thing is food, it is necessary for one to live, so this affected all Lebanese families," said a beautician and mother of two who asked only to be identified by her surname, Boutros. She had tightened spending on goods like cleaning products. The Lebanese economy relies on imports.