Protesters stormed a bank on Wednesday in downtown Beirut to demand that their money, which has been holed up for months, be given back to them, Lebanon’s National News Agency reports.
Unable to access money in their accounts, and as the ongoing economic crisis deepens, protesters entered Bank Audi headquarters in downtown Beirut.
Since late last year, Lebanon’s economy, which is heavily reliant on dollars to pay for imports, has deteriorated as dollars in the country have dried up. In an attempt to keep greenbacks in the country, the banks have applied a series of informal, and illegal, capital controls that prevent Lebanese from accessing the money in their accounts.
In previous months, protesters have torched banks across the country as they have become a symbol of the country’s strife.
Lebanon’s economic situation has only become more dire in the aftermath of the Beirut port explosion that left at least 190 dead, some 6,000 injured, and destroyed entire sections of the capital city.
