Lebanese demonstrators demand end to political vacuum
BEIRUT: Lebanese demonstrators have taken to the streets to demand an end to a months-long political vacuum, with police firing tear gas at the start of what protesters have billed a ‘week of wrath’.
Protesters resumed blocking major highways on Tuesday before anti-riot police armed with batons and shields charged hundreds of demonstrators outside the Lebanese central bank, an AFP correspondent said.
The charge dispersed the crowd, some of whom smashed paving stones to hurl them at police while others distributed onions to ward off the effects of the tear gas.
The civil defence said it had treated civilians and members of the police for light injuries at the scene, without saying how many, while others who had been wounded were taken to hospital, it said.
On Twitter, the security forces denounced ‘attacks’ led by ‘rioters’ who had thrown stones and firecrackers at police.
Although protests had declined in size in recent weeks, demonstrations have been ongoing since mid-October, increasingly targeting banks and state institutions blamed for driving Lebanon towards collapse.
The unprecedented crosssectarian movement has been fuelled by a crippling economic crisis, the worst since Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war.
Debt-burdened Lebanon has been without a government after Saad Hariri resigned as prime minister on October 29, as political parties fail to agree on the makeup of a new team.
“Rebel, Beirut,” dozens of protesters chanted as they marched to the sound of drums towards the home of premier designate Hassan Diab, who has struggled to form a cabinet since he was named on December 19.
“I want a government that can resolve the economic crisis as quickly as possible,” said Nour, a 31-year-old marcher.
As a liquidity crisis grows and the cost of living rises, protesters have returned to the streets to urge politicians to swiftly form a cabinet of experts to respond to their demands. — AFP