Protests in Lebanon
Throughout the week a number of protests took place in various countries across the globe. In Lebanon, demonstrations began on the evening of October 17 against the government’s new tax policy. The protesters showcased their rejection of the government’s decision to introduce a $6 dollar a month tax for calls made on the popular social media app WhatsApp (and other messengers). The authorities eventually cancelled the measure, but the protests did not stop, and instead began to tackle on broader economic problems in the country.
Unrest in Catalonia
The Government of Spain has rejected a proposal for negotiations with Catalonian sepratist activists. Protesters have been taking to the streets since mid-October.
Pedro Sanchez, the acting head of the Spanish government, stipulated that the government of Catalonia officially condemn the riots before any talks begin.
Mass protests in Ecuador
Ecuador has been rocked with large scale protests since the beginning of October. The initial demonstrations were organized in opposition to the abolition of state subsidies for fuel and other economic reforms. Hundreds of people have been detained or injured, and some deaths have been reported. During the demonstrations, many infrastructure facilities and private enterprises were seized.
On 13 October, both sides agreed to end the confrontation and find a compromise.
Read more on the protests from UWI.
Algerian protests
Protests in Algeria have been ongoing since February of this year, despite having already forced the early resignation of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in April, a man who had ruled the country for four consecutive terms. In line with the country’s constitution, Abdelkader Bensalah, the Speaker of the upper house of parliament, was appointed as interim head of Algeria for 90 days. After assuming power, he issued a decree for new presidential elections to take place on July 4. However, opposition forces have opposed any elections being held while representatives of the “old regime” are still in power. The elections were delayed after several potential candidates promised to boycott the process.
At present the election has been pushed back to December 12, but thousands of people are still taking to the streets to demand that it be cancelled altogether.