Clashes erupted between demonstrators and the Lebanese security forces in Beirut, during the commemoration of the first anniversary of the explosion in the port of Beirut today, Wednesday, and international calls continued to achieve justice and speed up the formation of a government and the implementation of reforms.

Amid a general closure, Al-Jazeera correspondent said that confrontations erupted between the demonstrators and the security forces in front of Parliament, as the latter used


water cannons and fired tear gas to disperse them.

According to media reports, 4 people were injured during a march by the Communist Party in the Gemmayzeh area.

Students in the Lebanese capital commemorate the victims of the Beirut Port (Reuters)

The demonstrations were launched at the invitation of opposition parties and groups, lawyers, doctors, engineers and the families of the victims of the explosion. The rallies met near the port, and others gathered in front of the Parliament and the headquarters of the Ministry of Justice.

These moves come to demand the clarification of all the details of this case, and the lifting of the immunities of those responsible for the explosion, in preparation for their interrogation and trial by the investigative judge.

Mass demonstrations in Beirut today (Reuters)

The authorities declared Wednesday a day of mourning.

However, neither official nor any official participated in any of the movements organized to commemorate the anniversary.

On social networking sites, activists have been publishing for weeks calls for mobilization under the hashtag "We are all victims.. They are all responsible. Lift_immunities_now, we will not_forget."

In a statement marking the anniversary of the explosion, Najib Mikati, who was tasked last month with trying to form a government, said he tells everyone without exception on this painful occasion that Lebanon is in danger.


repair calls

On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch accused the authorities of violating the right to life and the crime of negligence, after it showed in a special investigation the failure of political and security officials to follow up on the case of the ammonium nitrate shipment that exploded in a warehouse in the port.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who is leading Western pressure for reform in Lebanon, said the country's leaders should tell the people the truth, and said they "appear to bet on a strategy of procrastination, which is unfortunate and, I think, a historical and moral failure."

Today, Macron opens the Paris Conference to Support Lebanon, coinciding with the anniversary of the explosion, as he seeks under the auspices of the United Nations to collect more than 350 million dollars in aid for Lebanon.

Macron opens via video conference Paris in support of Lebanon (Reuters)

During his first public reception after an operation he underwent a month ago, Pope Francis called for concrete initiatives for Lebanon, adding, "I hope that the conference, organized by France and the United Nations and currently taking place, will be fruitful."

"One year after the terrible explosion that occurred in the port of Beirut and caused death and destruction, I extend my prayers to this dear country, especially the victims and their families, the many wounded and all those who lost their homes and their jobs. Many also have lost the will to live," the Pope added.

The disaster of the explosion, and the outbreak of the Corona virus before it, deepened the economic collapse that Lebanon has been witnessing since the summer of 2019, and the World Bank has ranked it among the worst in the world since the mid-19th century, as more than half of the Lebanese are below the poverty line, and the lira (the local currency) has lost more than 90% of its Its value against the dollar.