Banks in Lebanon will close their doors between September 19 and 21 to protest recent violent incidents at various branches in the country, where several people have burst in armed or by force to withdraw part of their savings, in the face of growing unrest over the crisis and limitations on withdrawals from bank accounts.
The Lebanese Banks Association said in a statement that “following repeated attacks on banks and physical attacks on bank employees (…) and taking into consideration the risks, the board of directors has decided to close the banks between September 19 and 21”, before apologizing to customers for any inconvenience this decision may cause.
“The safety of employees and customers is the top priority of the banks, as well as the interests of depositors, which they are trying to guarantee as much as possible amid the difficult circumstances the country is going through,” he said. Thus, he rejected “violence in all its forms” and argued that “violence is not and will not be the solution”.