The 2015–2016 Lebanese protests, commonly referred to as the "You Stink" movement (Arabic: مظاهرات طلعت ريحتكم ), were a series of mass demonstrations in reaction to a waste management crisis in Lebanon. The closure of the Naameh landfill, which operated beyond its intended capacity since 1997, led to the suspension of garbage collection across Beirut and Mount Lebanon.Abu-Rish, Ziad. "Garbage Politics." Middle East Report, no. 277 (2015). merip.org Trash accumulated in urban areas piled up and public outcry mounted. It startled protests that quickly turned in to a broader movement, in which participators demanded political reform, government accountability and an end of Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system.Beck, Martin. "Contextualising the Current Social Protest Movement in Lebanon." University of Southern Denmark, 2015. sdu.dkAssi, Abbas. Lebanon’s Protest Movements. Friedrich Naumann Foundation, 2021. freiheit.org
The protests were noted for their non-sectarian and decentralised structure."Lebanon’s ‘You Stink’ Protests." Global Voices, 2015. globalvoices.org Participators came from various classes of Lebanese society, challenging political class across confessional lines. Protesters came together through social media and creative forms of expression including satire, visual art, and symbolic performance. Slogans such as "The people want the fall of the regime", were also used during the Arab Spring and were directed at Lebanon's ruling elite.Kraidy, Marwan M. "Trashing the Sectarian System?" Communication and the Public, vol. 1, no. 1 (2016): 19–26. sagepub.com
Although the protests did not immediately lead to institutional reforms, they played a significant role in developing Lebanese contemporary civil society.Nasrallah, Monique M. "That Stinks: News Framing of a Corruption Scandal in Lebanon." University of Washington, 2017. UW ResearchWorks Multiple civic initiatives, such as the Beirut Madinati campaign in the 2016 Lebanese municipal elections, drew inspiration from the You Stink movement and is seen as a precursor to the 2019 October uprising."Scattered Victories and Building an Opposition Movement." Humena, 2021. humena.orgChalland, Benoît. "Reframing Protests in the Arab Region." Mediterranean Politics, vol. 24, no. 5, 2018, pp. 617–624. Taylor & Francis
Background
The 2015–2016 Lebanese protests originally occurred because of the failure of Lebanon's centralised waste management system, which had depended since 1997 on a single landfill near Naameh, south of Beirut.Abu-Rish, Ziad. "Garbage Politics." Middle East Report, no. 277 (2015). merip.org The Naameh landfill had an intended capacity of two million tons of garbage, but by the time of its closing in 2015 due to pressure of locals and activists, it had received over 15 million tons of waste."Lebanon’s ‘You Stink’ Anti-Government Protests." The Atlantic, August 2015. theatlantic.com The site closed immediately and without any viable alternatives, it led to a garbage halt by Sukleen, the waste management company responsible for collecting waste in Beirut and Mount Lebanon.Nasrallah, Monique M. "That Stinks: News Framing of a Corruption Scandal in Lebanon." University of Washington, 2017. UW ResearchWorks Thousands of tons of waste piled up in the streets during the peak of summer, causing environmental and public health risks.Assi, Abbas. Lebanon’s Protest Movements. Friedrich Naumann Foundation, 2021. freiheit.org
The garbage crisis quickly exposed deeper dysfunctions within the Lebanese state. When the Lebanese Civil War ended in 1990, Lebanon adopted a confessional power-sharing model that distributed political office along sectarian lines, leading to widespread clientelism and weak governance.Beck, Martin. "Contextualizing the Current Social Protest Movement in Lebanon." University of Southern Denmark, 2015. sdu.dkGlobal Voices. "Lebanon’s ‘You Stink’ Protests." 2015. globalvoices.org
By 2015, these dynamics led to consistent crises in basic public services, such as electricity blackouts, worsening of the water infrastructure and an inability to pass a national budget for over a decade.Challand, Benoît. "Reframing Protests in the Arab Region." Mediterranean Politics, vol. 24, no. 5, 2018, pp. 617–624. Taylor & Francis Lebanon had also been without a president since May 2014, leaving executive decisions a state of uncertainty.Assi, Abbas, ibid. According to political analyst Marwan Kraidy, the waste crisis functioned as a "biopolitical flashpoint", mobilising Lebanese citizens from different backgrounds and uniting them through their shared concerns and grievances over the inability of the state to manage standard needs like public health.Kraidy, Marwan M. "Trashing the Sectarian System?" Communication and the Public, vol. 1, no. 1 (2016): 19–26. sagepub.com The forming of the "You Stink" movement in July 2015 began out of this moment. Initially it started as a social media campaign demanding the removal of garbage, but it quickly grow into a call for institutional reform.Humena. "Scattered Victories and Building an Opposition Movement." 2021. humena.org
The movement didn't revolve around a single party or leader- it was led by multiple independent acvtivists, civil society groups and collectives that rejected the sectarian order.Nasrallah, Monique M., ibid. Despite being decentralised in character, the protests were unified by its demands for transparency, reforms of political systems and ending institutional corruption. systems.Abu-Rish, Ziad, ibid. The rhetorics of the 2011 Arab Spring were and inspiration for the "You Stink movement". Protesters adopted slogans and strategies such as "the people want the fall of the regime", and gathering in downtown Beirut's Riad Al Solh Square."Lebanon Events 2015." ReliefWeb. reliefweb.int During these gatherings, the protesters often performed live music, street performances, political satire and art, reflecting both their anger and creativity.The Atlantic, ibid.
Timeline of Events
July 2015: Landfill Closure and Garbage Accumulation
The Naameh landfill, located south of Beirut, was officially closed on the 17th of July in 2015, after years of exceeding its capacity. The Lebanese authorities were not able to put an alternative waste management into action, regardless of prior warnings. Consequently, Sukleen, the private contractor responsible for waste collection in Beirut and Mount Lebanon, ceased operations. Soon garbage began piling up on the streets, raising significant public health and environmental concerns.
August 2015: Protests Begin
A group of activists launched the "You Stink" movement on social media, as a response to the growing waste crisis. The activists were calling for government accountability and effective waste management solutions. The first major protest took place on 8 August in Beirut's Riad Al Solh Square, attracting several hundred participants.
As the situation worsened, demonstrations intensified. Thousands of people gathered in central Beirut to express their frustration and concerns, on 22 and 23 August. Clashes erupted between protesters and security forces, who used tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets, and batons to disperse the crowds. The excessive use of force was criticised by human rights organisations, and the events got a lot of widespread media attention.
23 August 2015 demonstration
Lebanese army units were deployed in central Beirut after the demonstration degenerated in street fighting between protesters and law enforcement. The Lebanese Red Cross said it treated 402 people in Sunday's protest. About 40 people were taken to hospital. Ambulances ferried out casualties after security forces fired tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon at demonstrators protesting against what they call Lebanon's "political dysfunction". About 200 youths, some wearing scarves or masks to cover their faces, threw stones and bottles filled with sand at police and tried to pull down security barricades. Some demonstrators burnt fires. A tree next to a church was set ablaze, road signs were pulled from the ground and shop fronts smashed.
The protest, organised by an online group "You Stink!" along with other civil society groups, attracted an estimated people on the streets of Riad El Solh Square in central Beirut.
By 29 August, more than Lebanese took to the streets to manifest against the government's corruption. It began as small protest, but it has soon proved to become an uprising, with many protesters calling for a revolution.
September 2015: Escalation and Demands
In the beginning of September the protestors of the movement made a list of demands. Investigations into police violence, early parliamentary elections, and the resignation of the Environment Minister were on the list of demands. The movement kept its momentum and internal conflicts arose over tactics and goals. Most of the protests went well and were peaceful, however certain groups called for more radical measures, which now and then resulted in clashes.
October–December 2015: Movement Plateaus
Protest fatigue, government inaction, and internal activist disputes all contributed to the protest movement's decline by the end of 2015. Limited waste removal efforts were initiated by authorities, for example storing garbage under bridges and in temporary sites. In light of this, a political campaign called Beirut Marinati was launched, with the goal of directing civil engagement into local government.
2016: Institutional Responses and Aftermath
In 2016, allegations of corruption and financial and logistical challenges caused the collapse of a proposed waste export plan by the government. Although complete waste management improvement were not put into place, some other landfills were eventually reopened. Even though the intentional goals were not achieved by the "You Stink" movement, their actions had a lasting impact on the civil society in Lebanon and set the stage for future civic mobilisations.
Role of Women Women had a significant and visible role in the Women in the "You Stink" movement, both participating and organizing. Women were leading marches, coordinating logistics, running social media campaigns and speaking publicly expressing key demands.Nasrallah, Monique M. "That Stinks: News Framing of a Corruption Scandal in Lebanon." University of Washington, 2017. UW ResearchWorks While it wasn't the first time female activism was seen in Lebanese society, the "You Stink" movement significantly changed how women used their right to protest. They not only defended their own rights, but also protested against violence of the state, institutional corruption and structural patriarchy.Abu-Rish, Ziad. "Garbage Politics." Middle East Report, no. 277 (2015). merip.org
During the protests a unique "civic laboratory" was seen, in which gender norms were actively discussed and challenged, according to political analyst Marwan Kraidy.Kraidy, Marwan M. "Trashing the Sectarian System?" Communication and the Public, vol. 1, no. 1 (2016): 19–26. sagepub.com Female protesters took their place at the frontlines during confrontations with security forces, strategically using their presence and reducing the likelihood of a violent escalation.Global Voices. "Lebanon’s ‘You Stink’ Protests." 2015. globalvoices.org