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Disaster in Beirut
Lebanon calls for intifada: "Sleep on the street until the fall of the government"
The public in the country wants the change of government, following the deadly explosion in Beirut. The information minister resigned, and the country's top Christian cleric called for a change of government. Soldiers deployed in Beirut following the violent clashes. Macron convened a virtual summit for international aid
Tags- Lebanon
- Beirut
News agencies
Sunday, 09 August 2020, 12:52Lebanese citizens today (Sunday) called for an intifada against the government following public outrage over the devastating explosion in Beirut on Tuesday. At the same time, Information Minister Manal 'Abd al-Samad announced her resignation from the government following the disaster in the port, in which at least 158 people were killed and about 6,000 more injured, and due to the government's failure to pass reforms.
It is the first member of the government to resign since the strongest explosion that ever shook Beirut, and yesterday Prime Minister Hassan Diab said the only solution to the crisis was early elections. He will raise this proposal at the next cabinet meeting, which will be held tomorrow.
The Maronite patriarch, the country's most senior Christian cleric, also called on the government to resign "if it can not change the way it rules." At a ceremony today, Bishara a-Rai said that "the resignation of a Member of Parliament or a minister is not enough. The whole government should resign if it cannot help the country recover."
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More about the disaster in Beirut
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Protesters are calling on the government to resign over negligence, which they say led to the explosion of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored for seven years in the port without proper maintenance. Violent clashes erupted yesterday in rage demonstrations in central Beirut, the biggest protest since October, when thousands protested against corruption and government failures. The current government was formed following the same demonstrations, but it did not bring about a change in the situation, on the contrary, it only got worse. The protesters do not believe that she will indeed prosecute those responsible for the disaster, and fear that she will whitewash and drop the blame on junior elements.
About ten thousand people gathered yesterday in the Shuhada Square in Beirut, which became a battlefield in the evening. Protesters tried to break through a checkpoint leading to parliament and clashed with police. Several protesters stormed government offices and the Association of Banking Chambers, before being evicted during the night. A police officer was killed, and the Red Cross said he treated 117 wounded at the scene, while another 55 people were evacuated to hospitals. The demonstrators threw stones and fireworks at the police, who responded by firing tear gas.
Today, soldiers were deployed in vehicles with machine guns near the square.
"People need to sleep on the street and demonstrate against the government until it falls," said editor-in-chief Mia Haveli, who surveyed the ruined port area.
22 people are still defined as missing after the blast, which destroyed extensive parts of the city where much rage has been brewing for months, due to the economic collapse and political crisis, and in parallel with the spread of the corona virus. French President Emmanuel Macron, who toured Beirut last week, hosted a virtual conference in a video call designed to garner international aid to Lebanon, which is also facing a severe food crisis, after the blast destroyed its major grain reserves. The conference was also attended by US President Donald Trump.