On saturday during a protest occur over the government’s handling of this week’s devastating explosion in the city. The Lebanese riot police fired tear gas at demonstrators who were trying to get in to the parliament building in Beirut. Police fired tear gas in Martyrs Square in the city centre where almost 7,000 people gathered, some thowing stones, some tried to break through the barier blocking a street leading to parliament, a Reuters journalist said.
The protester chanted ” the people want the fall of regime”, during Arab Spring uprisings of 2011 a popular chant arose. “Revolution, Revolution.” The held protester saying ” Leave, you are all killers”.
The area in the midst of clashes soldiers in vehicles mounted with machine guns patrolled the area .
” Really the army is here? Join us and we can fight the government together,” a women yelled.
According to the health ministry the tuesday blast was the biggest in Beirut’s history, killing 158 people and 6000 wounded . Twenty-one people were still reported as missing from explosion which devastated the large swathe of the city.
The Government has agreed to hold those responsible for the incident. Some convinced some setup noose on wooden frames as warning to Lebanese leaders.
“Resign or hang,” said a placard
Riot police fired dozens of tear gas canisters at protesters who set a fire and thrown stones. The residents, struggling to clean up shattered homes, express their grief that they see the Government as corrupt- It has been month of protest against its handling of deep economic crisis before this week’ disaster- has let them down again.
” We have no trust in our government,” said university student Celine Dibo as she scrubbed blood off the walls of her shattered apartment building. ” I wish the United Nation would take over lebanon.”
Several people were opined that its not surprising that French President Emmanual Macron had visited this week while Lebanese leaders had not.
Psychologist Maryse Hayek, 48, whose parents house were destroyed in the explosion said that ” We are living in ground zero. I hope another country would just take us over.” On Saturday, Lebanon’s Kataeb Party, a christian group is back by the Iran- aligned Hezbollah in opposing the government and asked the resignation of its three lawmakers from parliament.
Announcing the move during the funeral of a leading member of the group who died in the explosion, the party chief Samy Gemayel said ” I invite all honourable (lawmakers) to resign so that the people can decide who will govern them, without anybody imposing anything on them.”
On Thursday Macron visited Beirut promised angry crowds that aid to reconstruct the city will not fall under “corrupt hands.” On sunday he will host a donor conferance for Lebanon via video-link, His office also said that U.S President Donald Trump said that he will join too.
President Michel Aoun said on Friday that an investigation would examine if the casualities were the result of bomb or other external interference. Aoun said investigation would also cheak if the blast was due to negligence or an accident.
People are wondering of how they will reconstruct their lives. Tearing up, Bilal Hassan used his bare hands to try to remove debris from his home. He has been sleeping on a dusty couch besided pieces of splintered glass. His three teenage children were left with blood stains on the staircase and walls when they were running for their lives.
” There is nothing we can do. We can’t afford to rebuilt and no one is helping us, he said, standing beside large teddy bear that was blown across his home, and a damaged photograph of him and his wife.
Bulldozers ploughed throughed the wreckage of mangled homes and long rows of flattened cars as soldiers stood by. Volunteers with shovels streamed through streets.Danielle Chemaly said her charity organisation provided assistence to 70 homeless families and result was that her headquarters was destroyed.
” We have given people initial help but we don’t know what we can do for families in the future. It requires major projects,” she said.
Officials have said that losses amounting to $15 billion has occured due to the blast that Lebanon can never pay, it already have defaulting on a mountain of debt – exceeding 150% of economic output- and with talks stalled on a lifeline from the International Monetary Fund.
France and other countries have quicked to the emergency in providing help to Lebanon, including doctors, tons of health equipment and food. The major grain silo has been destroyed in blast and UN agencies are providing food and medical help.
“It felt like a mini atomic bomb,” said Geoge Rohana.”
For ordinary Lebanese, the scale of devastation was overwhelming. For them their last ray of hope was on France, U.S and others. Marita Abou Jawda has handing out bread and cheese to victims of the blast. ” Macron offered to help and our government has not done anything, It has always been like that,” she said.
