• Tweeter
  • republish

Dozens of people were injured Saturday night in Beirut during clashes with demonstrators, not far from the Lebanese Parliament. REUTERS / Mohamed Azakir

More than 220 people were injured on Saturday January 18 in Beirut in clashes between protesters and the police. An exceptional level of violence since the start of the protest movement three months ago.

With our correspondent in Beirut, Paul Khalifeh

More than 220 people, including 60 police officers, were injured on Saturday night in Beirut in clashes between protesters and law enforcement officials around the parliament. The city center looked like a battlefield and extensive damage was done to public and private property. Riot forces used tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons. The demonstrators threw stones and large firecrackers. The army was called in reinforcement to restore order at the request of the President of the Republic Michel Aoun.

Exasperation and radicalization

It was the most serious outburst of violence since the dispute began on October 17. The exasperation of the population has been exacerbated by the rapid deterioration of living conditions. According to various sources, 50% of Lebanese fell into poverty in just a few months. But anger has increased in recent days because of political disputes that delay the formation of a government despite the urgency of the situation. The Lebanese have the impression that their leaders do not take into account the gravity of the crisis and do not care about the catastrophic situation in which large sections of society have been plunged. Proof of this is that the government has still not seen the light of day two months after the resignation of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and four weeks after the appointment of his successor Hassan Diab .

Settlement of accounts between parties

In recent days, the dispute has mainly targeted the Central Bank and the banking sector , believed to be responsible for the crisis. On Saturday, Parliament was in its sights. More than a change in tactics, it must be remembered that protest is not a homogeneous movement with a unified program. Each group has its priorities which are sometimes supported, indirectly, by the political parties which it claims to reject. The targeting of banks, for example, is in line with Hezbollah’s discourse. We have seen many Shiites protest against the banking sector. In contrast, a large number of Sunnis, mainly from northern Lebanon, demonstrated on Saturday in front of the parliament, whose president is Shiite. The confessional political parties have found a way to engage in settling of scores even through the protest movement, which claims to be non-Community.

Lebanon : protesters back on the streets for a “ week of anger