Hezbollah ministers, allies storm out of Lebanese Cabinet meeting over growing

“It was an embarrassing decision”, said the minister, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the issue with the news media.

“In this regard, we have worked and will work on protecting protesters… but we are also compelled to protect public institutions at all times and are within the law to prevent infiltrators from assaulting legislative and executive institutions and private property”.

Sunday’s protest was larger than the previous day’s, with some local television stations saying about 20,000 people participated.

Anger concerning the heaps of trash accumulating in Beirut’s streets with hundreds protesting on the street towards a authorities so dysfunctional it will possibly’t maintain elections or decide a president, a lot much less ship primary providers.

Clashes between security forces and protesters have continued for a second night in Beirut as Lebanon’s prime minister has threatened to resign.

The protests led by the “You Stink” campaign gathered downtown Beirut on Saturday, and initially calling on the government to fix the waste crisis that was caused by the closing of the Naameh landfill on July 17th. While collection has resumed in some areas, no lasting solution has been found.

The protests were sparked by a collection crisis that saw garbage pile up in Beirut and beyond.

A government statement released after the walkout said tenders announced on Monday to award contracts for waste disposal to private companies had “included high costs”, and had therefore been rejected.

Lebanon Speaker Nabih Berri Says People Have the Right to Yell but no alternative for cabinet amid presidential vacuum. In the usual Arab authoritarian tradition, any response less than sheer brutality would not have been sufficient – the “troublemakers” had to be nipped in the bud before they could expand the scope of their presence and influence.

But Saturday’s peaceful demonstration turned violent as protesters pelted police with water bottles and firecrackers, and police retaliated with tear gas, water cannon and apparent gunfire.

As Khouri points out, demonstrators chanting “the people want the downfall of the regime…[was] a common cry during the uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Syria and Yemen”.

She tweeted that police officers have withdrawn from the scene of the protests.

A group of men broke into a building and one emerged holding a toilet which he smashed, providing more ammunition for the protesters to throw.

“Is this democracy? Is this democracy?” one shouted as the shots rang out. On Monday, security forces erected concrete blast walls at the site of the protests. The Hezbollah announcement of support for the protests is likely to fuel concerns the Iranian-backed group and its allies will try to hijack a rare, non-political movement for its own political gain.

A few protesters later set tyres on fire in Martyrs’ Square, with some pulling down trees, smashing windows and traffic lights.

Witnesses reported that while the You Stink members seemed to be highly educated and acted in a very orderly manner, the thugs acted like beasts.

Moe, a Lebanese American University student who asked that his surname not be used, said he was upset by the destruction, which tarnished a movement aimed to improve the country. “But now there is a general battle against the political class”, he said. In fact, it’s pretty hard to see how anyone could have come to that conclusion after watching the video.