- Title: LEBANON-CRISIS/BEIRUT MORNING Beirut clears up after riots
- Date: 24th August 2015
- Summary: BEIRUT, LEBANON (AUGUST 24, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF BURNED WORKSHOP THE MORNING AFTER VIOLENT PROTESTS VARIOUS OF SCORCHED RAZOR WIRE ON THE GROUND MORE OF BURNED ITEMS ON THE STREETS VARIOUS OF BROKEN SHOP WINDOWS VARIOUS OF STREET LEADING TO THE GOVERNMENT HEADQUARTERS VARIOUS OF WORKERS SWEEPING STREETS VARIOUS OF WORKERS AND INTERNAL SECURITY FORCES WORKERS SWEEPING STREETS PEOPLE WALKING PAST DEBRIS VARIOUS OF WORKERS SWEEPING THE STREET AND REMOVING RAZOR WIRE BARRICADES RUBBISH AND BURNED WRECKAGE TRAFFIC
- Embargoed: 8th September 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Lebanon
- Country: Lebanon
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA3GNIX0K81TH7P141O0CDJ2QX9
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The mood in downtown Beirut seemed cautiously calm on Monday morning (August 24) after demonstrations against the government turned violent for a second day on Sunday (August 23).
Prime Minister Tammam Salam threatened to resign as public discontent brought thousands into the streets in protest.
Workers cleared away the debris and razor wire barricades as security forces and army members patrolled the road in central Beirut which houses the parliament building as well as the prime minister's residence and historical monuments.
Anger at the Salam-led unity cabinet grouping Lebanon's fractious politicians has come to a head over its failure to resolve a crisis over garbage disposal that reflects the wider failings of the weak state.
Salam's cabinet has been hamstrung by political and sectarian rivalries that have been exacerbated by wider crises in the Middle East, including the war in neighbouring Syria.
Salam, in a televised address, warned that Lebanon was headed towards collapse and that a bigger problem than the trash crisis was the country's "political garbage".
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of the capital as part of the "You Stink" campaign directed at the government.
Water cannon and tear gas were fired at protesters, and demonstrators threw rocks and sticks at riot police as violence flared near Salam's offices in central Beirut. "The people want the downfall of the regime," chanted protesters.
Security forces fired into the air, and clouds of tear gas wafted through the streets as police tried to force protesters from the area.
Some demonstrators lit fires. A tree next to a church was set ablaze, road signs were pulled from the ground, and shop fronts smashed. Violence also flared on Saturday night (August 22). - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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