There were conflicting reports last night about tire burning in Hamra, which I tweeted. Though tire burning is the preferred method of expression among Lebanese hooligans–and it was taking place throughout the capital yesterday– I found upon closer inspection this morning that in Hamra I it was actually garbage bins that were set on fire.
This took place at the end of Hamra street near the Applebees restaurant. The parking attendant who lives there told me the men had poured gasoline into the bins and set two of them alight.
The burning melted the pavement but was just a few meters short of the cobblestone street that lines Hamra, which ends where the cars are parked above.
Did the protestors purposefully chose not to damage the cobblestone? Or have they damaged something worse?
Garbage workers are probably the hardest working people in Beirut. Most are not Lebanese, but they have continued to do their work despite the clashes, cleaning up the destruction locals continue to produce.
