Trash, alleged corruption ignite protests in Beirut
Lebanese riot police battled in downtown Beirut with demonstrators rallying against government corruption and an ongoing trash crisis.
The violence — which wounded at least 44 people and 30 police officers — came hours after Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam hinted he might step down after the first day of violent protests Saturday, which injured more than 100 people.
The demonstrations, the country’s largest in years, target what the thousands of protesters view as a corrupt and dysfunctional political system that has no functional cabinet or parliament, nor a president for more than a year.
Police used tear gas and water cannons against the crowds and fired in the air to disperse those who remained.
Protest organizers said they pulled their supporters out of the area after men they described as political thugs began fighting with police, trying to tear down a barbed wire fence separating the crowds from the Lebanese government building.
The protest began peacefully. The demonstrators take root in the garbage piling up on the streets after the capital’s main landfill was closed a month ago. An online group calling itself “You Stink!” and other civil society groups organized the rallies, calling on Lebanese to join them in a revolt against political corruption.
“We are ruled by corrupt losers,” said Nada Qadoura, a retired woman who took part in Sunday’s protest along with two of her friends. “All of them — warlords, legislators and ministers — are working for their own interest and not those of the people.
“The will of the people will eventually succeed no matter how long it takes.”
The clashes broke out shortly before sunset when protesters tried to break through barbed wire in Riad Solh Square leading to the government’s headquarters. Police beat back protesters with clubs and water cannons, occasionally hurling stones at protesters who threw rocks and water bottles.
Protesters now are demanding that the country’s top politicians resign, saying they are not fit to rule to country.
Salam, the prime minister, said in a news conference earlier Sunday that if this Thursday’s cabinet meeting is not productive, “then there is no need for the council of ministers.”
Lebanon has a power-sharing system that ensures equal representation between the country’s main religious sects. The arrangement often leads to complete paralysis, though Lebanon has been relatively calm amid regional instability.
A resignation by Salam would risk plunging the country into further chaos.