‘Brutal force’ of riot police at Beirut protests condemned
HUNDREDS of anti-government demonstrators faced tear gas and police water cannons in Beirut last night as they continued to call for political and economic reforms.
For the second night running, hundreds of people were wounded in clashes as protests turned into riots.
One chant heard from demonstrators in the city’s centre was “peaceful no longer”.
Bystanders reported police firing tear gas into a crowd, and a witness near the city’s parliament saw people in adjacent buildings throwing rocks on to demonstrators below.
Yesterday’s clashes capped the most violent stretch yet in three months of widespread protests against Lebanon’s ruling elite and its mismanagement of the country’s finances.
A total of 377 people were injured on Saturday night, with 120 taken to hospital. Another 34 people were detained.
Early yesterday, Lebanon’s public prosecutor ordered the release of all detainees. Large numbers said they were beaten by police as they were taken into custody. The strong-armed response by security forces has elicited international condemnation.
“There was no justification for the brutal use of force unleashed by Lebanon’s riot police against largely peaceful demonstrators in downtown Beirut,” said Michael Page, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.
“Riot police showed a blatant disregard for their human rights obligations, instead launching tear gas canisters at protesters’ heads, firing rubber bullets in their eyes and attacking people at hospitals and a mosque.”
National religious authorities also weighed in, with the top Sunni fatwa office criticising the clashes and saying that a major downtown mosque had offered care to protesters seeking refuge.
The country’s banking system is at the heart of protesters’ grievances.
The chaos has left Lebanon’s hobbled government scrambling to respond.
Raya el-hassan, the interior minister, condemned the violence, explaining that security forces were deployed to protect peaceful protests.