REPORT: Lebanon garbage crisis: Activists occupy Ministry of Environment

3^min

Riot police forcibly cleared on Tuesday "You Stink" campaign activists from the Environment Ministry in Downtown Beirut, hours after protesters started a sit-in calling for the minister’s resignation over the trash crisis.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside, some scuffling with riot police which left several activists injured.

Lebanese protesters marched into the Environment Ministry's building, staging a sit-in right before the 72-hour ultimatum issued by “You Stink” organizers ended.

The demonstrators sat cross-legged on the floor, clapping and shouting slogans against the minister, Mohammed Mashnouq, who was holed up in a nearby office.

Dozens of protesters gathered outside the Environment Ministry later to support their colleagues inside who refused to leave until their demands are met.

Demonstrators had 30 minutes to clear the building, media quoted Interior Minister Nouhad Mashnouq as saying; however, they remained inside after that deadline passed.

LBCI reporter Foutoun Raad said security forces initially used force against protesters and journalists, preventing media from filming.

Earlier, Environment Minister Mashnouq requested to meet a representative of the “You Stink” campaign for negotiations but was met with rejection.

Garbage has been piling up on the streets of Beirut since Lebanon’s largest landfill closed on July 17 with no other alternative.

This led to the creation of "You Stink" campaign, which blames political paralysis and corruption for the failure to resolve the crisis.

Last week, the cabinet failed to reach agreement on a solution for the crisis, saying that the fees quoted by private waste management companies were too high.

Lebanon has been plunged into a presidential vacuum for more than a year, while MPs have extended their own mandates until 2017.

The conflict in neighboring Syria has also aggravated political and sectarian divisions, and resulted in the arrival of over 1.1 million refugees, putting burdens on Lebanon’s economy and public services.

LBCI/AP

For more details, watch Dalal Mawad's full report in the video above.

مجموعات من المواطنين ومجموعة طلعت ريحتكم تحتل في هذه الأثناء مبنى وزارة البيئة في اللعازاية حتى اسقاط الوزير وتدعو جميع المواطنين إلى الحضور الى المكان.
Posted by ‎طلعت ريحتكم‎ on Tuesday, September 1, 2015

News Bulletin Reports

Lebanon

garbage

crisis:

Activists

occupy

Ministry

Environment

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