The Lebanese capital was under the spell of the anniversary of the massive explosion early on Wednesday, which devastated the port and several parts of the city, killing more than 200 people and injuring more than 6,000.

Government offices, banks, many businesses and shops were closed.

Street vendors, suspecting good business, had set up stands with Lebanese flags in anticipation of the demonstrators.

Christoph Ehrhardt

Correspondent for the Arab countries based in Beirut.

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In the early afternoon, the area around the port of Beirut was largely deserted.

But just a few hours later the scene of the disaster presented a different picture.

Protest and funeral marches had set in motion from several parts of the city: people streamed from the surrounding neighborhoods with pictures of the victims, with flowers, wreaths and national flags, until a crowd of people populated the adjacent city motorway.

"Fall of Immunity"

“The people demand the overthrow of immunity,” was one of the slogans chanted by the demonstrators; an allusion to Parliament's refusal to pave the way for questioning several ministers. The demonstrators insulted the politicians as "criminals" and "terrorists". Applause broke out when a protest march from victims' families arrived. At 6:07 p.m. there was a silent commemoration - at the time when at least hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate detonated a year ago. Despite several warnings, up to 2,750 tons of the explosive chemical had been lying around unsecured in the port for almost seven years. A demonstration to Parliament was planned for the evening of the anniversary. Already in the early evening there were clashes near the government district. The security forces used tear gas.

The population is extremely angry at the politicians. The Beirutians find it difficult to overcome their trauma. The state investigation is stalling because it is being sabotaged by the country's political class. High officials and members of the government have not yet been held accountable, although there is increasing evidence of at least negligence at the highest level. In addition, the people's struggle for economic survival is at work. You are suffering from an economic crisis, which the World Bank counts as one of the ten, if not three, worst financial crises since the middle of the 19th century.

The demonstrators had not yet left for the port when the international community was in the process of raising more money to alleviate the plight of the Lebanese.

France and the UN jointly hosted a virtual conference on Wednesday to expand humanitarian aid.

According to the French Presidential Office, a total of 370 million dollars (312 million euros) have been collected.

Paris had pledged $ 100 million, Berlin $ 40 million and Washington $ 100 million.

Among other things, food, medical support and educational aid are to be financed.

EU has issued sanctions

French President Emmanuel Macron made it clear that the aid should go directly to the population. "There will be no blank check for the political system," he said, saying: "Lebanon deserves better than to live on international aid." because of the political blockade that has now paralyzed the country for almost a year. "There is still no progress whatsoever in the formation of a government or in the implementation of the urgently needed reforms," ​​criticized the German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in a statement on the anniversary. That is irresponsible.

The current government is barely able to act. She has only been executive since she resigned shortly after the disaster. Two prime ministers-designate have already failed to set up a new cabinet, among them the former head of government Saad Hariri. The new candidate, Najib Miqati, recently described the government formation process as "slow". The traditionally protracted haggling over positions stands in the way of forming a government. Ministries are distributed in Lebanon among representatives of the various religious groups - Christians, Sunni and Shiite Muslims as well as Druze.

The West has recently increased the pressure on the political class. EU sanctions have now been decided under French direction. According to diplomats, the punitive measures could at some point affect people from the second tier of political leaders in the country. It is said that there is one from every relevant group.