A video of a convoy stopping an ambulance went viral on social media and set off a wave of public anger in Lebanon. It’s not the first time that a politician’s convoy blocks the traffic. However, blocking an ambulance that is urgently trying to reach a patient or the hospital is unacceptable.
The video shows a paramedic running towards the armed personnel and seems to ask him to make way for the ambulance. Of course, the traffic remained blocked until the convoy passed. Prime Minister Saad Hariri admitted that the convoy involved in the incident was his. He also expressed his apologies.
تعليقاً على الفيديو الذي يظهر وجود سيارة اسعاف في طريق قطعت اثناء تحرك موكبي من بيت الوسط، آسف لقيام البعض باستغلال هذه الصدفة غير المقصودة، واعبر للمناسبة عن اعتذاري الشديد من المواطنين الذين يصادفون قطع الطرقات جراء التدابير الأمنية التي ترافق تنقلاتي. ١/٢
— Saad Hariri (@saadhariri) July 10, 2018
The Secretary-General of the Lebanese Red Cross (LRC) Georges Ketanneh
that whenever there’s traffic or a roadblock, the LRC contacts the Internal Security Forces to make way for the ambulance. He also said that another problem is when people don’t make way for the ambulance. Also, Lebanon’s roads do not have emergency lanes.
