Lebanon protest postponed after Beirut clashes, organisers say

The protest was organized by a group called “You Stink” – a reference not just to the trash, but to the demonstrators’ view of the government.

The peaceful protests by thousands of people turned violent over the weekend after a small group of men repeatedly tried to tear down a barbed wire fence separating crowds from the government building, which houses the prime minister’s office and the cabinet.

On Saturday and Sunday night, police fired tear gas and water cannons at the protesters, battling them in the streets of Beirut in dramatic clashes. After being pelted with water bottles & different objects by a little division of the gang, nevertheless, cops officers again responded with water cannons & tear fuel.

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

The initial spate of violence sparked a bigger turn out the next day, with nearly 10,000 gathering to demand the immediate resignation of the Environment Minister Mohamad Machnouk and the holding of parliamentary elections. “Akkar is not a garbage dump!” read the slogan on one protester’s T-shirt.

The government had pledged to find a replacement before the landfill closed but failed to do so, leaving trash piling up in Beirut and its suburbs.

Mountains of garbage appeared in the streets, alongside homes, schools and hospitals.

The cabinet and parliament are deadlocked, and politicians have been unable to agree on a new president for more than a year while Syria’s war next door has aggravated sectarian tensions and driven more than one million refugees into the country.

Protests in Lebanon Saturday and Sunday, which began over unreliable trash pickup services, are now threatening to upset that country’s fragile political order. Parliament has extended its own term twice and has not convened because lawmakers differ on whether they can continue working before voting for a president. The violence follows large rallies held over the last three days, where hundreds of protestors have been injured. “So either (the government) has to change or it has to become more efficient and more equitable”.

Mohamed Abu Basha, an economist at Cairo-based investment bank EFG-Hermes, said politicians might reach a compromise to resolve the country’s immediate economic crisis, “which has been the equation governing the country for a few years now”.

Charlie Kadado, editor of Lebanese Examiner, which has a mailing address in Troy, said the ongoing crisis could result in a “major political disaster” and that worldwide governments should be watching Lebanon closely.

Hezbollah ministers and their allies walked out of a Cabinet meeting Tuesday meant to discuss the worsening garbage crisis.

However, the announcement did not appease You Stink activists who called for the bids to be annulled, saying the tenders were aimed at stealing public funds, according to local media reports. He added that he hoped the announcement would be a “happy ending” to the problem. Mountains of garbage piled up on the streets, prompting a grassroots protest movement calling itself “You Stink”.

“The people are screwed over from A to Z”, said one demonstrator during Saturday’s protest.

“The fact that the Cabinet seized the Independent Municipal Fund transforms the bids into a looting and robbery procedure”, said Marwan Maalouf, a representative of the campaign.

“Drones are definitely valuable and viable, but people do need to be thoughtful and cautious in using them”, Greenwood said.

Updates: Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq arrived at Riad al-Solh Square to inspect the scene of the recent violent protests, MTV reported.