Lebanese protest over trash crisis in Beirut

Salam said that if next Thursday’s Cabinet meeting is not productive, “then there is no need for the council of ministers”.

Demonstrators gesture as Lebanese riot police use tear gas during a protest against the ongoing trash crisis, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, August 22, 2015.

Protesters clashed with police, police fired tear gas and water cannons, and one protester got hit on live TV.

He told a news conference on Sunday that the right to demonstrate was protected by the constitution.

On Sunday, thousands of people gathered near the government headquarters in Beirut chanting anti-government slogans and calling for a larger protest later on the day.

Protesters now demand that the country’s top politicians resign, saying they are not fit to rule to country.

The demonstrators take root in the garbage piling up on the streets after the capital’s main landfill was closed a month ago.

Shots also rang out near the prime minister’s office, where thousands of people had also clashed the day before.

Lebanon’s prime minister admitted that the use of force against the peaceful demonstrators was excessive, but he also did not offer up any possible solutions to the current impasses, suggesting the citizens of Beirut will continue to have to cope with the problem.

The piles of trash were largely removed from sight in the capital in recent weeks, but anger grew when it emerged that much of the trash was simply being dumped elsewhere in the country.

The Salam government brings together rival Lebanese parties, including the Sunni-led Future Movement of Saad Al Hariri, Shia Hezbollah, and competing Christian groups.

He called on Lebanon’s cabinet to meet this week to find a solution to the crisis, railing against political divisions that have paralysed the country’s institutions.

A protester has been killed during anti-corruption demonstrations in Beirut, the first fatality since mass demonstrations began in the Lebanese capital on Saturday, the Red Cross has said.

But the “You Stink” spokesperson Ali Bazzi called on protesters to return to Riad al-Solh Square on Monday for a fresh protest.

He said, commenting on the latest developments: “We must remind that the mission of this government is to reinforce security and stability and manage the affairs of the State until the problem of the presidential vacancy, which has been going on for over a year, is solved”. The lack of reliable basic services in the country, including water, electricity, and garbage pickup, has a long history that was exacerbated by the civil war, the subsequent political settlements, and periodic Israeli military strikes.

The “You Stink” movement insisted they were opposed to violence and distanced themselves from those attacking security forces.