This article is written by Sina Schweikle and is published by Deutsche Welle. Here is an excerpt:

A group of young people are relaxing in front of a building in Beirut’s Mar Mikhael district. As some pause for a smoke, they discuss the political situation in their country. “The politicians take everything from us and stick it in their own pockets! We have to do it differently,” one says.

It’s Thursday, which means it’s the weekly open day for Minteshreen, a progressive youth-led movement born of the late 2019 protests. The group’s name translates roughly to “spread out.”

Nearly two years ago, when hundreds of thousands of Lebanese people took to the streets to protest against the country’s corrupt elite, Hussein el-Achi, 33, and his friend Samer Makarem, 30, a marketing expert were among them. Today, el-Achi and Makarem are leaders in the movement. They want their ideas and vision for a better future to spread out across the whole country, and with about 100 members they are hoping to set up an independent political party.

Read the full article here.