Despite the Lebanese cabinet having submitted it’s resignation, protests have taken place for a third consecutive night in the capital, Beirut. Angry demonstrators threw fireworks while police fired tear gas, near the parliament building.The BBC reports that there is mounting anger over the devastating explosion that took place Tuesday last week.
The blast flattened nearby buildings and caused extensive damage to much of the city. Hundreds of thousands have been rendered homeless as a result, with more than 200 people and over 500 injured.
The BBC reports that Lebanon, already struggling with an unprecedented economic crisis before the tragedy, had been witnessing protests since last October. They had already been demands for the complete overhaul of the country’s political system, with the government being accused of corruption and mismanagement.
The now ‘former’ Prime Minister Hassan Diab blamed the blast on Lebanon’s political elite. Shirking responsibility for the blast, he said, “Their corruption created this tragedy. Between us and change stands a thick wall protected by their dirty tactics.”
According to the BBC the government’s resignation will not do much to quell the protests in Beirut, where residents have seen job losses, and families have been plunged into poverty.
Umm Muhammed Umar
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