Fury mounts after Lebanese men end lives amid deepening economic crisis – The National

Fury mounts after Lebanese men end lives amid deepening economic crisis – The National

At least four deaths were reported on Friday and Saturday amid widespread hardship

















Anti-government protesters shout slogans near the spot where a Lebanese man killed himself on Beirut's Hamra Street on July 3, 2020. AP Photo







A spate of suicides in Lebanon has fuelled public anger over an economic crisis that has caused prices to soar and increased unemployment as businesses struggle to survive.



The most widely publicised incident took place in the busy Hamra area of Beirut on Friday morning, when a man shot himself in the street outside a cafe.



"Clients were having coffee when a loud voice was heard saying 'Lebanon free and independent' followed by a gunshot. There he was, down on the pavement in a pool of blood,“ a waiter from a restaurant nearby told The National.



"He had covered his face with a towel to avoid being seen shooting himself “¦ He left a suicide note beside him that read 'I am not an atheist'.“



The line is believed to be a reference to a well known song by the Lebanese musician Ziad Rahabni that goes: "I am not an atheist “¦ but hunger is