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Myriam Dalal

Tripoli Citizens Protest After Police Confiscate Vendor Cars

As if Tripoli’s miserable situation couldn’t get any worse…

According to LBC News on Thursday, citizens of Tripoli blocked the Abou Ali Roundabout at around 10:00 a.m. to protest the move by local officials to ban vendor carts.

Vendor carts, selling everything from kaak to vegetables and cheap merchandise are well-known sights on the streets of Lebanon. It offers an easy way for lower class citizens to make a somewhat decent living while forgoing additional costs like rental feels.

Why did Lebanese officials think Ramadan was the best time to implement their new ban on vendor carts? Not to mention, the poor economy and escalating tensions in the country due to real and political spillover from Syria.

Moving vans used to be big on the Corniche up until a few years ago when they were treated as illegal trespassers. As far as I’m concerned the government is illegally trespassing on poor people’s right to a fair income.

Ramadan Kareem means Ramadan is generous, as our government should be – but clearly isn’t.