[Anderson:] Remarkable scenes anywhere but in Lebanon, a country still scarred with division from a horrendous civil war 30 years ago, almost unprecedented. An ambitious human chain across the country, a show of unity, demonstrators joining hands, connecting the country from the north to the south on what is now the 11th day of paralyzing protests, one where you often hear, "For our revolution." It is a quote you can hear right behind me now right here in Beirut's Market Square, where anti-corruption protests continue to engulf the nation and this square just beyond me here. You can hear the soundtrack, music, there is still a celebratory atmosphere. These are still spontaneous protests. There have been clashes, Lebanon now a country in paralysis and at a political crossroads. Neither the political leaders nor the people it seems are willing to budge. It comes amid a season of discontent, with protests raging in countless countries across the world, not least here in this very region. We have seen protests in Egypt. We currently see what are sadly, deadly protests in Baghdad, in Iraq. Out senior international correspondent based here in Beirut is Ben Wedeman. He has been covering this turbulence as it has unfolded and joins me now. As I say, we are well into week two if. The government thought that by now this would be business as usual, they were wrong.
[Wedeman:] No business as usual. Banks are closed. Banks have been closed now for nine days. They will be closed tomorrow as well. The country is at a standstill. Now this has been brewing for quite some time. I live here. Every single day I speak to Lebanese, not the kinds you meet in bars and whatnot but ordinary hard working Lebanese people, who have been telling me day after day things are getting tougher and tougher and tougher. All of a sudden we saw these protests break out sparked by the WhatsApp tax, 20 cents per day for WhatsApp calls. Really it is much, much deeper than that. Now we are seeing these protests not just in Beirut, all over the country. It is important to point out these are leaderless protests. There is nobody sort of organizing all of that. Now for almost a week, there is a general strike which is bringing this country to a total standstill. The people want to topple the regime, they chant, and blocking roads, bringing Lebanon to a standstill, is how they hope to achieve it. The road they are shutting down is on what used to be known as the green line, which split Beirut during the 15-year Lebanese civil war. Today's uprising is, among other things, against the sectarian divisions that fueled the civil war and remain the basis of Lebanese politics today. A medical student, Muhammad Mazloum, wants the old system to go.
[Muhammad Mazloum, Medical Student And Protester:] We are trying to move the whole political class that's been ruling us for 30, 40 years. They caused the civil war. They caused corruption that cannot be described in any way.
[Wedeman:] Eventually the police try to remove the protesters using persuasion rather than brute force. The security forces have been given orders to remove all the people and things blocking the road. And that has happened in most of the country but clearly not everywhere. In the end, they gave up. For now. "Peaceful, peaceful," this protester shouts. "This revolution is peaceful." It wasn't peaceful everywhere, however. In the northern city of Tripoli, demonstrators clashed with the army, which fired tear gas and rubber bullets as well as live ammunition in the air, according to a statement from the army. Several people were injured. Back in Beirut, the protesters moved to block the so-called Ring Road, a major artery in the city. These tactics may or may not bring down the government but they are definitely making life difficult for some although they are letting vital traffic through. Ali al-Wed lives nearby and tells the protesters to be flexible. "Pregnant women need to get to hospital," he says. "My wife gave birth three days ago and I have come to be with you but people need to get to their homes." For now, Lebanon remains paralyzed. Neither the political leaders, nor the protesters, are budging. What's interesting about these protests, Becky, is that we are seeing people really tired of the confessional system that has been the reality here since 1943, the so-called national pact, the divided power between the various sects here. People have said we are fed up with this. We want real government that isn't sort of a division of powers along those lines.
[Anderson:] The question is how do they get that? These people who are in government are incredibly influential and they will be in this for the long game. Back after this.