Activists from “We Want Accountability” campaign staged a sit-in on Thursday near the An-Nahar newspaper building in central Beirut, calling for the resignation of Environment Minister Mohammad Mashnouq as well as removing the trash from the streets and finding a solution to the dossier of kidnapped soldiers.
The protesters called upon the politicians “to stop stealing the municipalities' funds and to activate sorting plants.”
Confrontations then erupted between the demonstrators and the Security forces when some activists attempted to cross the barbed wires and the barricades in order to access al-Nejmeh Square.
Consequently, ISF arrested activists Waref Sleiman, Pierre Hachach, Fayez Yassin and many others.
Riot police fired water cannons and tear gas at the anti-government protesters in a bid to disperse them.
Anger at Lebanon's government has fueled repeated protests in recent months.
Discontent with widely perceived corruption and incompetence came to a head in July when the government failed to agree a solution to a trash disposal crisis and piles of garbage were left to fester in the streets.
Lebanon's parliament Speaker Nabih Berri cancelled the last day of this week's session aimed at discussing ways out of the political crisis after politicians made no progress on issues including high-level security appointments.
The three-day "national dialogue" called by Speaker Berri started on Tuesday and was aimed at finding solutions to the stalemate.
The talks were set to run into Thursday but Berri postponed the next session until October 26.