Beirut: Lebanese security forces clashed with angry coronavirus lockdown demonstrators in the Tripoli district north of the Lebanese capital of Beirut, leaving at least 226 people injured and one dead, while witnesses and local media reported that riot police had fired live bullets as protesters tried to storm the city’s government building.
Security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters who threw stones, hurled Molotov cocktails and lit a car on fire. The demonstrators gathered in the city’s central Al-Nour Square and attempted to storm the government building in the square. Gunfire was heard near the protest site, while demonstrators set fire to the entrance of a police building.
For days, Lebanon has witnessed protests against a coronavirus lockdown and what protestors describe as the government’s inability to stem the spread of the virus as hospitals reach maximum capacity. Amid a dramatic surge in coronavirus infections, the government has imposed a nearly monthlong nationwide lockdown and round-the-clock curfew, the strictest since the virus hit Lebanon. The measures have exacerbated a crippling economic and financial crisis that preceded the pandemic in this small Mediterranean country of nearly 5 million people and over 1 million refugees. The Lebanese currency has tumbled, losing over 80% of its value, according to The Associated Press (AP) report. Banks have imposed controls on withdrawals and transfers to protect dwindling foreign reserves. Unemployment and inflation have skyrocketed and tens of thousands have been thrown into poverty.
On Wednesday, Lebanon hit a new daily record for COVID-19 fatalities, registering 76 deaths. Hospitals are struggling with COVID-19 patients, reporting near full occupancy in ICU beds. Nearly 290,000 infections have been recorded since last February and 2,553 deaths. The surge in infections comes on top of the country’s worst economic crisis since its 15-year civil war ended in 1990.
“We have made the decision to continue our action, whatever the cost … because we have nothing left to lose,” a 25-year-old protester wearing a ski mask told Agence France-Presse (AFP). “We live in wretched conditions. I’ve knocked on every door but can’t find work,” he said.
While security forces tried to disperse demonstrators using tear gas, hand grenades were thrown at police and two of them exploded, Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces said on Twitter. At least nine people were wounded and military vehicles were damaged due to hand grenades, it added. The Lebanese Red Cross said 35 people were transported to hospitals and 67 were treated at the scene. –PNP
