Thousands of protesters gathered in Central Beirut and other cities of Lebanon in response to a proposed tax on calls via WhatsApp and other messaging services
The government quickly dropped the plan but the protests changed into something bigger.
The protests morphed into demands for a sweeping overhaul of the political system, with grievances ranging from austerity measures to poor infrastructure.
Given the size of the gatherings, the five-day-old mobilisation has been remarkably incident free, with armies of volunteers forming to clean up the streets, provide water to protesters and organise first aid tents.