<p>Tens of thousands of Lebanese protesters were to attempt a human chain running across the entire country Sunday to symbolise newfound national unity.</p>.<p>Demonstrators planned to join hands from Tripoli to Tyre, a 170-kilometre (105-mile) chain running through the main protest hub in Beirut, as part of an unprecedented cross-sectarian mobilisation.</p>.<p>Tension has mounted in recent days between security forces and protesters, who are blocking roads and bringing the country to a standstill to press their demands for a complete overhaul of the political system.</p>.<p>Lebanon's reviled political elite has been defending a belated package of economic reforms and appeared willing to reshuffle the government, but protesters who have stayed in the streets since October 17 want more.</p>.<p>On foot, by bicycle and on motorbikes, demonstrators and volunteers fanned out along the main north-south highway.</p>.<p>"Everything is ready, we even have volunteers on motorbikes who are helping us identify gaps in the chain," said Julie Tegho Bou Nassif, one of the organisers.</p>.<p>"The idea behind this human chain is to show an image of a Lebanon which, from north to south, rejects any sectarian affiliation," the 31-year-old history professor told AFP.</p>.<p>"There is no political demand today, we only want to send a message by simply holding hands under the Lebanese flag."</p>.<p>The protests have been remarkable for their territorial reach and the absence of political or sectarian banners, in a country often defined by its divisions.</p>.<p>The leaderless protest movement, driven mostly by a young generation of men and women born after the 1975-1990 civil war, has even been described by some as the birth of a Lebanese citizen identity.</p>.<p>"We want to reinforce this feeling of national unity that has been appearing in Lebanon over the past 10 days," Bou Nassif said.</p>.<p>The army has sought to re-open main roads across the country, where schools and banks have been closed for more than a week.</p>.<p>In one of the most serious incidents, the army opened fire on Friday to confront a group of protesters blocking a road in Tripoli, wounding at least six people.</p>.<p>But the unprecedented protest movement has been relatively incident-free, despite tensions with the armed forces and attempts by party loyalists to stage counter-demonstrations.</p>.<p>Protesters have been demanding the removal of the entire ruling class, which has remained largely unchanged in three decades.</p>.<p>Many of the political heavyweights are former warlords seen as representing little beyond their own sectarian or geographical community.</p>.<p>The protesters see them as corrupt and incompetent and have so far dismissed measures proposed by the political leadership to quell the protests.</p>.<p>"We've had the same people in charge for 30 years," said Elie, a 40-year-old demonstrator walking in central Beirut on Sunday morning with a Lebanese flag.</p>.<p>Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Monday announced a package of economic reforms which aims to revive an economy that has been on the brink of collapse for months.</p>.<p>His coalition partners have supported the move and warned that a political vacuum in times of economic peril risked chaos.</p>.<p>But the protesters have accused the political elite of desperately attempting to save their jobs and have stuck to their demands for deep, systemic change.</p>.<p>In a now well-established routine, entire families of volunteers showed up early on the main protest sites Sunday to clean up after another night of protests and parties.</p>.<p>After dusk, the central Martyrs Square in Beirut and other protest hubs in Lebanon turn into a vast, open ground where protesters dance, sing or organise political meetings.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of Lebanese protesters were to attempt a human chain running across the entire country Sunday to symbolise newfound national unity.</p>.<p>Demonstrators planned to join hands from Tripoli to Tyre, a 170-kilometre (105-mile) chain running through the main protest hub in Beirut, as part of an unprecedented cross-sectarian mobilisation.</p>.<p>Tension has mounted in recent days between security forces and protesters, who are blocking roads and bringing the country to a standstill to press their demands for a complete overhaul of the political system.</p>.<p>Lebanon's reviled political elite has been defending a belated package of economic reforms and appeared willing to reshuffle the government, but protesters who have stayed in the streets since October 17 want more.</p>.<p>On foot, by bicycle and on motorbikes, demonstrators and volunteers fanned out along the main north-south highway.</p>.<p>"Everything is ready, we even have volunteers on motorbikes who are helping us identify gaps in the chain," said Julie Tegho Bou Nassif, one of the organisers.</p>.<p>"The idea behind this human chain is to show an image of a Lebanon which, from north to south, rejects any sectarian affiliation," the 31-year-old history professor told AFP.</p>.<p>"There is no political demand today, we only want to send a message by simply holding hands under the Lebanese flag."</p>.<p>The protests have been remarkable for their territorial reach and the absence of political or sectarian banners, in a country often defined by its divisions.</p>.<p>The leaderless protest movement, driven mostly by a young generation of men and women born after the 1975-1990 civil war, has even been described by some as the birth of a Lebanese citizen identity.</p>.<p>"We want to reinforce this feeling of national unity that has been appearing in Lebanon over the past 10 days," Bou Nassif said.</p>.<p>The army has sought to re-open main roads across the country, where schools and banks have been closed for more than a week.</p>.<p>In one of the most serious incidents, the army opened fire on Friday to confront a group of protesters blocking a road in Tripoli, wounding at least six people.</p>.<p>But the unprecedented protest movement has been relatively incident-free, despite tensions with the armed forces and attempts by party loyalists to stage counter-demonstrations.</p>.<p>Protesters have been demanding the removal of the entire ruling class, which has remained largely unchanged in three decades.</p>.<p>Many of the political heavyweights are former warlords seen as representing little beyond their own sectarian or geographical community.</p>.<p>The protesters see them as corrupt and incompetent and have so far dismissed measures proposed by the political leadership to quell the protests.</p>.<p>"We've had the same people in charge for 30 years," said Elie, a 40-year-old demonstrator walking in central Beirut on Sunday morning with a Lebanese flag.</p>.<p>Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Monday announced a package of economic reforms which aims to revive an economy that has been on the brink of collapse for months.</p>.<p>His coalition partners have supported the move and warned that a political vacuum in times of economic peril risked chaos.</p>.<p>But the protesters have accused the political elite of desperately attempting to save their jobs and have stuck to their demands for deep, systemic change.</p>.<p>In a now well-established routine, entire families of volunteers showed up early on the main protest sites Sunday to clean up after another night of protests and parties.</p>.<p>After dusk, the central Martyrs Square in Beirut and other protest hubs in Lebanon turn into a vast, open ground where protesters dance, sing or organise political meetings.</p>