A 19-year-old Lebanese man set himself on fire near the Grand Serail in the southern city of Sidon Sunday, witnesses said.
The man, who was identified as Abdulrahman Jweide, arrived near the Grand Serail and started shouting: "We want freedom, we want jobs," witnesses told The Daily Star.
Jweide poured gasoline on himself and lit himself on fire, ignoring pleas by passersby and security forces.
Despite setting himself on fire, he continued to shout for freedom and jobs.
The Lebanese Red Cross swiftly arrived at the scene and transported him to Sidon’s public hospital where he was admitted for treatment.
Jweide is a third-year student at Sidon public technical school, who lives with his family in the popular Villat area in the suburbs of Sidon.
“We are suffering from a financial crisis,” he told The Daily Star from his hospital bed.
Jweide’s father works at a pastry shop and he has two sisters and a brother.
He said that he couldn’t find a job, emphasizing that the country is lacking all kinds of freedom.
His body was completely consumed by burns, which caused some of his features to change.
Doctors said that Jweide’s injuries were critical.
