This article is more than 9 months old

This article is more than 9 months old

Lebanese security forces fired teargas, rubber bullets and water cannons to disperse hundreds of protesters for a second straight day, ending what started as a peaceful rally in defiance of the toughest crackdown on anti-government demonstrations in two months.

The violence on Sunday comes on the eve of a meeting between the president and parliamentary blocs in which Saad Hariri, who resigned as prime minister on 29 October, is widely expected to be renamed to the post.

Hariri stood down during nationwide protests that have accused the entire political elite of corruption and mismanagement amid Lebanon’s worst economic downturn in decades. The protesters say they won’t accept Hariri as prime minister, demanding an independent head of government not affiliated with existing parties.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Protesters throw stones at the police as clashes erupt during a protest in downtown Beirut. Photograph: Lewis Joly/SIPA/Rex/Shutterstock

After weeks of bickering, the political parties failed to put forward independent names, most of them insisting on keeping their stake in government.

The protests on Sunday were largely peaceful, but some demonstrators lobbed water bottles and firecrackers at security forces guarding parliament. After a couple of hours, security forces chased the the protesters away, using batons and teargas to disperse the crowd.

Hundreds remained as division surfaced among the protesters. Some promoted confrontation with security forces to express anger at the crackdown and the government’s business as usual approach.

“We have to reclaim our country from this occupation,” one angry protester told LBC TV, referring to what he called a corrupt government in place for decades. Another told Al-Jadeed that on Sunday the protest was a reaction to an unjust crackdown the day before.

The large crowd that gathered peacefully earlier Sunday largely dispersed by evening. But many protesters came prepared with helmets and teargas, and they used plant pots and bins to throw up a barricade in the street.

Security forces chased protesters in central Beirut, firing teargas and rubber bullets. Some protesters hid in the commercial area surrounding the parliament and others in masks pelted officers with stones. Several people were injured from stone throwing, including a news photographer.



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Demonstrators had chanted against the security crackdown and called for an independent new head of government unaffiliated with established political parties.

The crowd waved Lebanese flags. One raised a poster saying the teargas won’t keep them away. We are crying already, it added, in a jab at the deep economic crisis Lebanese are facing. The streets leading to parliament were filled with men, women and even children. Some huddled in smaller groups while others were lifted on shoulders chanting in megaphones.

The demonstrators were clear they wouldn’t accept Hariri’s return.



“I came back today to pressure the parliament to make the right choice tomorrow and choose a prime minister from outside the political parties. If they don’t choose someone acceptable, we will be back to the streets again and again,” said Chakib Abillamah, a protester and businessman who was demonstrating Saturday when violence broke out.



The overnight confrontations in Beirut left more than 130 people injured, according to the Red Cross and the Lebanese Civil Defense. The Red Cross said none of the injured were in serious condition and most of them were treated on the spot.

Attackers in northern Lebanon also set fire to the offices of two major political parties early Sunday, the state-run National News Agency said.

