Beirut (AFP)

Popular anger was expressed again Wednesday against the banking sector in Lebanon, a country stuck in an economic crisis and a political dead end in sight.

Dozens of people gathered Wednesday evening in front of the Central Bank in Beirut's Hamra district.

"Down with the reign of the bank" or "Riad Salamé provoked the bankruptcy of Lebanon", in allusion to the governor of the Central Bank, chanted the demonstrators while the security forces and the army imposed strict measures security in the area.

On Tuesday evening, the police used tear gas to disperse hundreds of demonstrators while banks were vandalized.

Armed with cobblestones or fire extinguishers, tearing off the signs to use them as a battering ram, the protesters attacked the distributors and shop windows of establishments in the same district.

On Wednesday evening, hundreds of demonstrators also marched to the police station in Hélou, another sector of the capital, where they blocked the road and chanted slogans demanding the release of the detainees, before clashes broke out between them and security forces that used tear gas.

Local media and activists reported that protesters, including at least one photojournalist from a foreign news agency, were injured, while security forces arrested several protesters.

Tear gas canisters fell into the compound of the Russian Embassy, ​​near the police station housing the detainees, the national news agency, ANI, reported.

Lebanon, which has been living since October to the rhythm of an unprecedented challenge against a ruling class deemed to be corrupt and incompetent and the banks, which have imposed severe restrictions on depositors, crystallize a large part of the anger.

On Wednesday morning, cleaning agents picked up broken glass in front of the vandalized banks, tried to erase the graffiti and inspected the damaged distributors.

"Vandalism is not acceptable, but I understand the anger of people who are exhausted," reacted Alya, in front of a bank.

"I have a sick person at home, and I have to pay the nurse. The restrictions they have imposed make life impossible for us," she said.

- "Barbarian act" -

In the midst of a shortage of the greenback, used in Lebanon in the same way as the national currency, withdrawals are limited to around a thousand dollars per month. It has become almost impossible to make transfers abroad.

In agencies, customers come to withdraw their quota and the queues get longer, with altercations between customers and tellers.

Officially, the Lebanese pound, indexed to the greenback since 1997, keeps the same fixed rate of 1,507 pounds for one dollar. But, in exchange offices, it lost almost half of its value, sometimes climbing to 2,500 pounds for a dollar.

The outgoing Prime Minister Saad Hariri, but also the head of the Parliament Nabih Berri, castigated "unacceptable" vandalism. The Lebanese Banks Association denounced "barbaric" acts.

Savers accuse the banks of taking their money hostage and of allowing politicians and senior officials to make transfers abroad.

The Central Bank has announced that it is investigating capital leaks. She also said she wanted to unify and provide "legal cover" for the draconian bank restrictions.

"We come to say no to financial policies, which have robbed us for years and which only affect small depositors," said Youmna Mroué, 22, who demonstrated Wednesday evening in front of the Central Bank.

"We are today in a state of collapse, what happened the day before (acts of vandalism against the banks) is the result of real anger and real pain in people," he said. she.

- "Dangerous chaos" -

After a breathlessness which coincided with the end of year celebrations, popular demonstrations have resumed since Saturday.

On Wednesday, rallies took place in Beirut but also in Tripoli (north) and in Nabatiyé (south) in particular.

The situation is complicated by the political deadlock: since the resignation at the end of October of Saad Hariri, his government, in charge of current affairs, has been accused of inertia.

Hassan Diab, designated as his successor on December 19, has still not managed to form his government, which the street wants composed of independent technocrats, while the main political parties seek to preserve their representation.

Deploring "increasingly virulent demonstrations" and "a falling economy", the UN special coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis did not mince words.

"Politicians, don't blame people, blame yourself for this dangerous chaos," he wrote on twitter.

© 2020 AFP