Beirut Blast Protest Update: Police Fires Tear Gas On Anti-Government Protesters Blocking Roads Near Parliament

Lebanese police fired tear gas on protesters who have been consistently protesting against the government after last week’s deadly blast in the capital city Beirut.

Thousand of protesters have blocked the roads near the parliament to show their disappointment against the government. The Lebanese police, in an attempt to disperse the crowds, fired tear gas at the citizens on Sunday, Aug. 10.

The released TV footage showed that the protesters broke into the housing and transport ministry offices. Additionally, protesters can be seen breaking into a cordoned off area while fire breaks out at the entrance to Parliament Square.

A clash took place between the protesters and riot police in body armor.

The deadly Beirut blast took place on Aug. 4 and it has been linked to 2,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored at the doomed port for the last six years. The explosion is known to have killed almost 160 people so far and has left more than 6,000 injured. The rescue teams are still looking for missing persons in the debris.

Negligence due to which the explosion took place, in addition to months of political and economic collapse has triggered Lebanese nationals to took to streets and ask for a regime change and the current government to step down.

“We gave these leaders so many chances to help us and they always failed. We want them all out, especially Hezbollah, because it’s a militia and just intimidates people with its weapons,” said Walid Jamal, an unemployed Lebanese who also came out to protest.

“The resignation of an MP or a minister is not enough ... the whole government should resign as it is unable to help the country recover,” said Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai, Lebanon’s top Christian Maronite cleric, during his sermon on Sunday.

Two government ministers have already resigned amid protests. One of them is environment minister Damianos Kattar, while the other one is Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad.

The protests being held in Lebanon following the Beirut explosion are the biggest since October 2019, when the public gathered on the streets to demand the end of corruption, mismanagement and poor governance.