The port blast is taking popular anger to a new level in a country already reeling from an unprecedented economic and financial crisis and near bankruptcy.
Public fury over this week’s massive explosion in Beirut is taking a new turn as protesters storm government institutions and clash for hours with security forces, who respond with heavy volleys of tear gas and rubber bullets.
A police officer was killed and dozens of people hurt during clashes on Saturday night which played out in streets that were wrecked from Tuesday’s blast at the port that devastated much of the city and killed nearly 160 people.
Dozens were still missing and nearly 6,000 people injured.
The huge ammonium nitrate explosion left a crater 43 metres deep, a security official said Sunday.
READ MORE: Number of missing after Beirut explosion drops as death toll rises
Four govt buildings
Activists who called for the protest set up symbolic nooses at Beirut's Martyrs' Square to hang politicians whose corruption and negligence they blame for the explosion.
With security forces focused on a large gathering at the Martyrs' Square protest hub, a group led by retired army officers snuck into the foreign ministry and declared the building a "headquarters of the revolution".
The stunt, which marked a new development in the strategy of a protest camp whose October 17 uprising had lost steam lately, was facilitated by the damage the port blast shockwave had inflicted on the building.
At one point, protesters had stormed or taken over four key official buildings.
"We are officially at war with our government," said activist Hayat Nazer, as tear gas filled the air in downtown Beirut.
"This is war."
READ MORE: Lebanese protesters storm several ministries as anger grows
Unreal one-shot drone footage going through the buildings showing the aftermath of #Beirut blast! Insane!
— Rayane Moussallem (@RioMoussallem) August 8, 2020
(credits: Ig michokhoury) pic.twitter.com/DjxaFbUn4G
Rage grows after disastrous blast
The blast was fueled by thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate that had been improperly stored at the port for more than six years. Apparently set off by a fire, the explosion was by far the biggest in Lebanon’s troubled history and caused an estimated $10 billion to 15 billion in damage, according to Beirut’s governor. It also damaged 6,200 buildings and left hundreds of thousands of people homeless.
READ MORE: Fury in Lebanon as officials admit knowing stockpile could blow up Beirut
“Resignation or hang,” read a banner held by protesters, who also planned to hold a symbolic funeral for the dead. Some nooses were also set up along the bridges outside the port.
Khodr Ghadir, 23, said the noose was for everyone who has been in power for the last 30 years. “What happened was a spark for people to return to the streets."
A placard listed the names of the dead, printed over a photo of the blast's enormous pink mushroom cloud. “We are here for you,” it read.
Dozens of protesters stormed the buildings of government ministries and the headquarters of the banking association, turning their rage to state and financial institutions.
READ MORE: Police clash with protestors enraged by explosion in Lebanon
Absolutely staggering numbers toay in #Beirut. Square split between peaceful on one side and rioting on the other. We’re hearing live fire every now and then. Over 100 injured so far. #LebanonProtests pic.twitter.com/C4cpYhyJIQ
— Timour Azhari (@timourazhari) August 8, 2020
Earlier Saturday, the protesters entered the empty buildings of the foreign ministry, declaring it a headquarters of their movement. Others then fanned out to enter the economy and energy ministries, some walking away with documents claiming they will reveal the extent of corruption that permeates the government. Some also entered the environment ministry.
Many protesters said they now had only their homes and even those are no longer safe. They blamed the government’s inefficiency and political division for the country ills, including the recent disaster that hit almost every home.
By 1930 GMT protesters had been dispersed and security forces deployed across the city, where the broken glass and rubble from Tuesday's disaster mixed with the smoking remains of a night of rage.
Dozens of people wounded during the violence also needed treatment in hospitals already bursting with the injured from Tuesday's blast and coronavirus patients.
READ MORE: Lebanon wakes up to utter devastation after Beirut blast
This time we're not going anywhere pic.twitter.com/tIqukej8IH
— Nizar Hassan || نزار حسن (@Nizhsn) August 8, 2020
'Heads will roll'
On Sunday French President Emmanuel Macron will host Donald Trump in a UN-backed virtual conference to drum up aid for crisis-stricken Lebanon.
Macron, the first world leader to visit Beirut after the explosion, has warned Lebanese leaders that the billions of dollars in available aid would not be forthcoming if the Lebanese state did not implement deep changes.
France also said it would charter a cargo ship to transport food, medicine and reconstruction materials to the country.
READ MORE: Emergency aid from around the world lands in Lebanon
Under increased pressure from the street, which wants heads to roll over the Beirut port tragedy, and foreign partners exasperated by the leadership's inability to enact reforms, Prime Minister Hassan Diab's government was fraying at the edges.
A bloc of three MPs from an opposition Christian party resigned from parliament Saturday, bringing to five the number of lawmakers to quit since the August 4 explosion.
Crippled by debt and the local currency's nosedive, and threatened by a spike in Covid-19 cases, Lebanon can ill afford international isolation, but its hereditary ruling class is digging its heels in.
Many Lebanese have urged foreign powers not to funnel more money into what they say are thieving and incompetent hands.
"We call on all the anguished Lebanese people to take to the streets to demand the prosecution of all the corrupt," said Sami Rammah, the retired general who spearheaded the short-lived occupation of the foreign ministry Saturday.
Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit met top officials ahead of expected visits by Turkish officials and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.
Turkey’s vice president and the country's foreign minister met Aoun and said that Ankara was ready to help rebuild Beirut's port and evacuate some of the wounded to Turkey for treatment.
At the site of the blast, workers continued searching for dozens of missing people.
Source: TRTWorld and agencies
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August 09, 2020 at 12:13AM
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Fury rages in Lebanon as violent protests follow disastrous explosion - TRT World
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