In pictures: Grief gives way to rage as Beirut protesters demand revenge

Thousands of Lebanese protesters, some of them brandishing nooses, vented their anger on Saturday at politicians they blame for a deadly explosion that made hundreds of thousands homeless and shocked the world.

Demonstrators marched through streets devastated by the blast that levelled Beirut port on Tuesday, gathering in the central Martyrs' Square as their grief gave way to rage.

They pinned the blame on leaders they say deserve nothing less than the fate of the 158 people who died as a result.

The crowds breathed new life into a protest movement that started in October but was snuffed out a few months later by the coronavirus pandemic and a crippling economic crisis.

As scuffles broke out on the fringes, a group of protesters led by retired Lebanese army officers stormed the foreign ministry in central Beirut and declared it the "headquarters of the revolution". Some pulled the portrait of President Michel Aoun off the wall and smashed it on the ground.

They also stormed the Lebanon banks association where they were chased out of only to descend upon the energy ministry, taking it over.

Elsewhere, police fired tear gas to disperse groups of young men hurling stones and seeking to push towards parliament.

Prime Minister Hassan Diab said he would propose early elections to break the impasse that is plunging the country deeper into political and economic crisis every day.

A policeman died in the violent clashes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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