Lebanon: Protesters Storm Five Ministries, MPs Resign

Protesters stormed the foreign affairs, economy, energy, and communications ministries, as well as the Banking Association in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, during a protest on August 8, hours after several members of parliament (MPs) submitted their resignations. The protests and resignations came in the wake of the August 4 explosion at Beirut Port which leveled large parts of the city and triggered widespread public condemnation of the government.

A day later, on August 9, the Lebanese information minister Manal Abdel Samad also announced that she would resign from the cabinet. Samad was the first cabinet minister to resign in the wake of the disaster.

According to the Red Cross, 63 injured people were hospitalized and 175 were treated by the Red Cross as a result of confrontations between protesters who gathered in the vicinity of the Lebanese parliament, and security forces, which used tear gas to disperse the protestors, according to Reuters.

Protestors in Martyrs Square shouted the slogan "Beirut is a disarmed city ... the capital of the revolution," after demanding that those responsible be held accountable for the Beirut Port explosion of a few days ago, while also demanding that an international investigation committee be formed to understand the circumstances of the incident. The demonstration took the name of "The Day of Reckoning."

The Internal Security Forces stated on its official Twitter account that it "understands the overwhelming anger of the demonstrators" and asked them to restrain themselves and express themselves peacefully without attacking public property or threatening its officers. It also called on the demonstrators to leave areas where it stated "attacks" had taken place. The Security Forces added: “We will not accept attacks on our officers, especially after several in our ranks have been injured.

Nihad Salma, a lawyer who participated in the protest, told IranWire that he got involved because he was a citizen that "saw the carnage spread across Lebanon," and that "not one official wants to end this injustice against the Lebanese people."

Salma said: "We do not want to die in similar explosions. There are more than 150 martyrs, 6,000 wounded, and dozens missing, and no one in power has done anything. It is the last concern of the three [leaders] and MPs ... How long should this go on for?"

Abdullah Hassoun, who also participated in the protest, told IranWire that he joined the protests "so that the blood of the martyrs does not go to waste, and so that this gang does not continue to control the fate of our lives."

A number of Lebanese MPs resigned on August 8, following the explosion that rocked Beirut Port on August 4.

The Phalange Party [Kataeb Party] MPs included Sami Al-Jamil, Nadim Al-Jamil, Ilyas Hankash, and independent MP Paula Yacoubian, who all announced their resignation. MP Marwan Hamadeh also resigned before them on the day of the explosion.

According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, more than 6,000 people were injured and 160 died as a result of the explosion, while 80 remain missing.