A second day of mass anti-government demonstrations in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, turned violent on Sunday, with riot police spraying thousands of protesters with a water cannon and pelting them with stones.
After initially peaceful rallies during the day, the clashes broke out shortly before sunset when protesters tried to breach barbed wire around Prime Minister Tammam Salam’s offices.
Police also used clubs to beat back the protesters, who threw stones, water bottles and fireworks at the security forces. Several police officers and protesters were injured. Witnesses also heard some shots fired near the offices.
The renewed violence came hours after Salam signaled that he might be ready to resign, following protests on Saturday in which more than 100 people were injured. The protests are the largest to hit Lebanon in years.
The protests started after rubbish began piling up on Beirut’s streets after the city’s main landfill – initially a temporary measure – was closed a month ago, with no alternative yet found.
As the problem worsened, an online group calling itself “You Stink!” and other groups called on Lebanese citizens to stage demonstrations against what they say is a corrupt system.
The demonstrations have shifted from merely demanding a resolution to the rubbish problem to calling for the resignation of the country’s top politicians.
Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system, which ensures that the country’s main religious groups are all represented, often leads to stalemates that leave the government unable to act.
In addition, the country has not had a president in more than a year.
