An old lady sits among burning tires, during a night protest in downtown beirut, on march 2, 2021

March 2, 2021. Lebanon is plunging into a deep socio-economic crisis. That night, the Lebanese pound, pegged officially at 1.507.5 LBP for a dollar, records an all-time low : 10.000LBP. A psychological barrier is broken. Angry, scared and despaired people take to the streets again, blocking roads with burning tires. In the middle of Downtown Beirut, a bunch of protestors have gathered. Among them, an old lady with an empty stare, silently sitting on the ground, just inches away from the burning tires. She seems unbothered by the flames and the heat, and no one seems to notice her. I decide to take a photo of her. She looks at me without saying a word. I then reach out, telling her she better stay away from the fire. She nods her head, I help her up, asking if she needs any help. She politely declines, before leaving. Her name is Mariam. Later that night, I share her photo on social media. Some people saw in Mariam the sadness and despair of every person suffering in Lebanon. Others, surprisingly, mocked the old lady. For she appears frequently in front of cameras, and at one point, has asked for Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, to be elected president. The mitigated reactions kept me thinking all night : Doesn't Mariam have the right to protest and express herself, independently of her political beliefs ? Isn’t she suffering from the crisis like everyone else ? I haven't seen Mariam since I took that photo. I wonder if she’s still protesting sometimes, or if the worsening crisis has gotten the best of her.