Why Lebanon's 'You Stink' movement lost momentum
The Lebanese popular movement to fight corruption in the political class has faced a number of setbacks.
In an act of desperation, young Mohamed Haraz set himself on fire before the Lebanese military court Oct. 16 in protest of the decision to keep activists Waref Suleiman and Pierre al-Hashash under arrest.
The two activists were accused of inciting people to riot during an Oct. 8 demonstration. The protest was one of a series of other popular protests in the streets of Beirut since August 2015, sparked by the garbage crisis, government paralysis and rampant corruption at all levels in the state.
The people’s anger exploded toward the entire political class, with no exception. The "You Stink" movement began in August 2015, its name a reference both to the piles of trash bags lying in the street and the widespread corruption in Lebanon.
To preempt attempts by the political parties to hijack the movement or sway it by pressuring the organizers to share the leadership role with youth organizations affiliated with political parties, the protesters rushed to raise the slogan “All means all,” so as to convey the message that the people’s anger at the political class does not exclude anyone.
