Protests amid economic crisis in Lebanon shutter stores, tangle transit

BEIRUT — Nationwide protests paralyzed Lebanon on Friday as thousands of demonstrators blocked major roads in a second day of rallies against the government’s handling of a severe economic crisis and the country’s political class they perceive as being corrupt.

The protests are the largest Lebanon has seen since 2015 and could further destabilize a country whose economy is already on the verge of collapse and has one of the highest debt loads in the world. The protests, which drew people from all religious and political backgrounds, were largely peaceful, although violence erupted in several areas.

Time and again, the protesters shouted “Revolution!” and “The people want to bring down the regime,” echoing a refrain chanted by demonstrators during Arab Spring uprisings that swept the region in 2011.

They took aim at all political leaders, including President Michel Aoun and his son-in-law, Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, as well as the prime minister and parliament speaker, blaming them for systemic corruption they say has pillaged the country’s resources for decades.

“We are here today to ask for our rights. The country is corrupt, the garbage is all over the streets and we are fed up with all this,” said Loris Obeid, a protester in downtown Beirut.

In an address to the nation Friday night, Prime Minister Saad Hariri blamed political partners in his national unity government for repeatedly blocking is reform efforts. He called on them to make “clear, decisive and final” decisions regarding his proposed structural reforms to fix the ailing and heavily indebted economy.

Schools, banks and businesses shut down as the protests escalated and widened in scope to reach almost every city and province. Hundreds of people burned tires on highways and...