Day 21 of protests in Lebanon with banks, roads shut

Protests in Lebanon entered their twenty-first day as protesters shut roads and banks in areas throughout the country on Wednesday.

Although the Lebanese army forced open some roads on Tuesday, demonstrators continue to disrupt traffic and businesses across the country.

A protest march in Aley, southeast of Beirut, closed banks and certain government buildings, reported Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) on Wednesday.

In Beirut, protesters gathered in in front of the Justice Palace, the Ministry of Education, and the American University of Beirut.

In the country's northern province of Akkar, protesters shut down the local electricity building, reported NNA. Electricity shortages have been one of the many factors fuelling discontent.

On Tuesday, the ratings agency Moody’s downgraded Lebanon’s sovereign debt, saying sweeping anti-government protests had hit investor confidence and threatened marco-economic stability.

On the same day, four journalists resigned from Lebanon’s pro-Hezbollah newspaper Al-Akhbar over the daily’s stance on an unprecedented wave of anti-government protests. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has warned his supporters from joining the protests and said he does not support the resignation of the government.

Demonstrators continue to call for the resignation of the entire government following Prime Minister Saad Hariri's resignation on October 29.