Security forces, protesters clash again in Downtown Beirut -...

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Lebanese security forces fired rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons at protesters in downtown Beirut on Sunday, marking the second day of mass demonstrations to demand a solution for the country's garbage crisis.

The protesters then slowly started to evacuate the Ryiad al-Soleh Square, moving toward the Martyr's Square, chanting slogans against the government.

The protesters also took over a police motorcycle and set it on fire.

Injuries among both the protesters and security forces were reported, as the Lebanese Red Cross announced that it transferred 37 cases to the nearby hospitals.

For his part, Minister of Health Wael Abou Faour called on medical centers and hospitals to receive all cases.

Several roads were shortly blocked in support for the protesters, mainly the Dahr al-Baidar, Chtaura, Hermel and the Qaa roads in the Bekaa Valley and the Batroun-Tripoli highway in North Lebanon.

The protest officially began at 6 PM., but hundreds of protesters had been rallying at Riyad al-Soleh square since the morning.

Earlier, You Stink campaign activists demanded Prime Minister Tammam Salam to submit his resignation “at once.”

A number of protesters attempted earlier to remove the barbed wire surrounding the Grand Serail in order to approach the building following Prime Minister Tammam Salam’s press conference, but the security forces thwarted the attempts and restored calm.

The protesters, who have been staging a sit-in since Saturday night, called on Salam to resign, refusing any political interference in their movement.

“You Stink” activists started their movement on Saturday evening to protest the government’s failure to resolve the waste management crisis. During the protest, scuffles that erupted between the protesters and the security forces that left several injured from both parties.

Meanwhile, the Progressive Socialist Party declared its withdrawal from the demonstration, noting that the movement turned from “a rightful popular and youthful protest into an attempt to overthrow what was left of the public institutions, an attempt that will endanger stability and civil peace.”

In this context, the PSP reiterated its complete understanding for the initial legitimate popular demands that called for the demonstration in the first place, warning on the other hand, against turning the situation into chaos and exploitation of the movement to serve goals other than the original ones.

In turn, Future Movement chief former Prime Minister Saad Hariri stressed his support for Prime Minister Tammam Salam on the backdrop of Saturday's protests, while warning against attempts to “topple the government.”

Condemning “any form of extreme security procedures in facing peaceful protesters,” Hariri warned in a statement against “attempts to drag the country into chaos and the unknown.”

Lebanon News

forces,

protesters

clash

again

Downtown

Beirut

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