Joker becomes symbol of protests rocking the Middle East

The eponymous character of the blockbuster movie Joker – who is best known for his eerie clown face – has become the latest symbol for resuming mass protests in the Middle East.

Many citizens, in particular young Arabs, who have been feeling ignored and isolated by their government, painted their faces as Joker, flooding the streets to challenge their respective regimes, especially in Lebanon and Iraq. As well as painting their faces, many of them dressed as the famous super-villain and drew clown faces on the walls during anti-government protests.

Mass protests erupted across Lebanon on Thursday against plans to tax calls on Whatsapp and other messaging services.

The demonstrations quickly turned into wider grievances with calls for resignation of the Lebanese government and hold corrupt officials accountable.

A young woman who took part in the Lebanon protests with a Joker face, said: “The reason we painted our faces is because we relate to the character in the movie. Because before he painted his face he was just living that miserable life. Nobody cared about him, nobody would listen to him. He’s upset, he’s angry, and it just drove him to madness, and that’s what’s happening in Lebanon.’’

Additionally, a social media phenomenon in Kuwait who painted his face as the Joker was arrested after his photo was shared hundreds of thousands times on social media, as reported by El-Araby.