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Protest Roadblocks in Lebanon Disrupt Traffic, Force School Closures

Dale Gavlak

   BEIRUT - From taxi drivers to frustrated parents hoping to get their
   children to school, people in Lebanon have found that protesters'
   roadblocks have changed their daily lives since the start of the
   uprising three weeks ago to oust the political elite blamed for
   corruption and poor public services. Lebanese troops deployed Tuesday
   throughout the country to reopen roads and main thoroughfares closed by
   anti-government protesters.

   Even at the best of times, Beirut's traffic-clogged streets can send
   tempers flaring. But add another element to the mix, such as roadblocks
   protesters are using to pressure authorities to meet their demands, and
   you have daily life turned upside down, says Helena Keenan, a Beirut
   resident and mother of three.
   "The roadblocks have been one of the main barriers to getting the
   schools reopened. The pattern has been that at about 5 p.m. or 6 p.m.,
   the schools will announce that school is open the next day," said
   Keenan. "And then there will be a barrage of various Twitter and
   Facebook postings: 'We need to get to the streets. We need to close
   roads. We need to protest.' Roads tend to close in the evening and that
   tends to get the moms all worked up and then by late morning, the army
   has them open again."
   

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