⁍ Lebanese protesters stormed government ministries in Beirut and trashed the offices of the Association of Lebanese Banks.
⁍ The protesters said their politicians should resign and be punished for negligence they say led to Tuesday’s blast.
⁍ The Red Cross said it had treated 117 people for injuries on the scene while another 55 were taken to hospital.
– Protests over a devastating blast that killed at least 158 people in Beirut this week have turned violent, with protesters forcing their way into government ministries in the Lebanese capital Saturday, Reuters reports. At least 117 people were treated at the scene for injuries, according to the Red Cross, while a police officer was killed as protesters chased him into an elevator shaft and he fell into it. Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters, who chanted “the people want the fall of the regime” and burned the portrait of President Michel Aoun. Protesters also trashed the offices of the Association of Lebanese Banks. “We are staying here. We call on the Lebanese people to occupy all the ministries,” one demonstrator said by megaphone. The blast was the biggest in Beirut’s history and was caused by a huge cache of ammonium nitrate that had been stored at a port for six years without proper safety measures, the AP reports. Prime Minister Hassan Diab said Friday that those responsible for the blast will be held accountable, but many in Lebanon aren’t convinced. “Resign or hang,” one protester said. “You have no conscience, you have no morality. Go home! Resign, Enough is enough.”
Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lebanon-security-blast/lebanese-protesters-storm-ministry-buildings-as-anger-over-beirut-blast-grows-idUSKCN2540EX