When Eliane Jabbour found herself in the middle of a crowd of protesters in Lebanon on Saturday night, she was understandably concerned that the noise and commotion would be frightening for her toddler son, who had just woken from a nap in the passenger seat of her car. But it didn’t quite pan out the way she had expected. Robin, her 15-month-old son, was confronted by an astonishing sight: Protesters encircled the car with big grins to serenade him with the earworm song “Baby Shark” — complete with its playful dance. A video of the episode in Beirut — with Robin staring wide-eyed at the all-singing, all-dancing group and then glancing at his mother as he clutched his bottle — quickly spread online and has become something of a symbol for the antigovernment demonstrations that have gripped Lebanon for days. During those protests, thousands have gathered on the streets of Beirut and around the country, demanding an end to chronic corruption and denouncing the government of Prime Minister Saad Hariri.

Source: New York Times October 22, 2019 12:00 UTC