Hundreds of demonstrators angered by a deepening economic crisis rallied on Saturday across Lebanon for a third consecutive day, after violent overnight riots sparked condemnation from the political elite.
Protesting against the surging cost of living and the government's apparent impotence in the face of Lebanon's worst economic turmoil since the 1975-1990 civil war, crowds in central Beirut brandished flags and chanted anti-government slogans.
"We are here to demand the formation of a new transitional government" and early parliamentary elections, Nehmat Badreddine, an activist and demonstrator told AFP near the Grand Serail seat of government.
In the northern city of Tripoli, young men scuffled with security forces, who fired rubber bullets to disperse crowds.
The stand-off began after young men blocked a highway to prevent a number of trucks carrying produce destined for Syria from passing through, according to the official National News Agency.
The Lebanese Red Cross said it treated nine people wounded in Tripoli.
Prime Minister Hassan Diab in a speech condemned Friday night's violence and what he termed efforts to mount a "coup" against the government and "manipulate" the value of the Lebanese pound.
"The state and the people are being subjected to blackmail," he said, vowing to defeat corruption in the country.
Lebanon is caught in a spiralling economic crisis, including a rapid devaluation of the Lebanese pound, which has triggered a fresh wave of demonstrations since Thursday.
Local media said the exchange rate had tumbled to 6,000 Lebanese pounds per dollar on the black market at one point Friday, compared to the official peg of 1,507 in place since 1997.
In Martyrs' Square, the epicentre of protests in downtown Beirut, demonstrators dressed in black and with their faces whitened carried a coffin draped with the Lebanese flag in a symbolic funeral on Saturday for their crisis-ridden country.
President Michel Aoun has announced that the central bank will implement measures from Monday including "feeding dollars into the market", in a bid to support the Lebanese pound.
Despite the pledges, some 200 young men gathered on mopeds in central Beirut on Friday night, some of them defacing shop fronts and setting fire to stores.
Security forces fired tear gas to disperse them and some of the young men threw stones and fire crackers back.
In Tripoli, demonstrators threw stones and Molotov cocktails at soldiers late on Friday and damaged the facades of several banks and shops. Soldiers responded with tear gas.
-
Riot police advance to push back demonstrators from a square near the government house in downtown Beirut, Lebanon. AP Photo -
Lebanese security forces advance as anti-government protesters gather behind rubbish containers during a demonstration against dire economic conditions in the northern city of Tripoli. AFP -
Anti-government protesters gather on the Fuad Shehab bridge, known as the Ring, as Lebanese security forces stand guard below, during a demonstration against dire economic conditions in the capital Beirut. AFP -
People watch from a bridge as Lebanese security forces gather behind rubbish containers set ablaze by anti-government protesters, during a demonstration against dire economic conditions in the downtown district of the capital Beirut. AFP -
Lebanese anti-government protesters clash with security forces during a demonstration against dire economic conditions in the capital Beirut. AFP -
A Lebanese anti-government protester reacts as he runs in a cloud of smoke and sparks, during a demonstration against dire economic conditions in the downtown districtof the capital Beirut. AFP -
Lebanese security forces arrest a man during an anti-government demonstration against dire economic conditions in the downtown district of the capital Beirut. AFP -
An Anti-government protester on her motorcycle returns where burn tires block the road near the government palace, during a protest against the economic condition, the collapsing Lebanese pound currency and and increasing prices in Beirut. EPA -
A member of the Lebanese riot police fires tear gas towards demonstrators during a protest against the fall in pound currency and mounting economic hardship, in Beirut. Reuters -
A man sells Lebanese flags, cold water and shisha, as anti-government protesters wait to reach the Rang area to start demonstrations in Beirut. EPA -
Anti-government protesters gather as they try to block tabarize highway during a protest against the economic condition, the collapsing Lebanese pound currency and increasing prices in Beirut. EPA -
Anti-government protesters gather as they try to block tabarize highway during a protest against the economic condition, the collapsing Lebanese pound currency and increasing prices in Beirut. EPA -
Lebanese protesters block a bridge with flaming tyres on the Sidon-Ghazieh highway amid demonstrations which erupted after the sharp drop of the Lebanese pound on the black market, in the southern coastal town of Ghazieh. AFP -
A Lebanese protester takes part in blocking a bridge with flaming tyres on the Sidon-Ghazieh highway amid demonstrations which erupted after the sharp drop of the Lebanese pound on the black market, in Ghazieh. AFP -
A young man boy rides his motorbike near burning tires during a sit-in protest against the fall in pound currency and mounting economic hardship, in Ghazieh. Reuters
On Saturday, Mr Diab called on officials to assess damage in central Beirut.
Former premier Saad Hariri toured the area, condemning vandalism and riots.
Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi said security forces would find those responsible for damaging property in the capital.
Lebanon – one of the most indebted countries in the world, with a sovereign debt of more than 170 percent of GDP – went into default in March.
It started talks with the International Monetary Fund last month in a bid to unlock billions of dollars in financial aid.
Unemployment has soared to 35 per cent nationwide.
The country enforced a lockdown in mid-March to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, dealing a further blow to businesses.
