Police forcibly removed activists from Lebanon’s environment ministry
on Tuesday after demonstrators staged a sit-in to demand the minister’s
resignation in the latest in a string of protests that began over a
nationwide waste collection crisis.
Local television stations showed riot police removing the protesters, thought to number around 30, from the building in central Beirut.
Police had earlier gathered in the buildings stairwell and expelled the media from inside the room where the activists were gathered.
The sit-in came ahead of a deadline set by campaigners for the government to respond to their demands after a massive weekend demonstration.
The campaign set out four key demands: the resignation of Environment Minister Mohammed Mashnuq, new parliamentary elections, the devolvement of trash collection to municipalities and accountability for violence against protesters.
“They refused to listen to our demands that we gave them 72 hours to fulfill,” activist Lucien Bourjeily told AFP.
“They announced clearly that the minister will not resign. We are asking for the resignation of the minister and won’t leave until that happens.”
Local television stations showed riot police removing the protesters, thought to number around 30, from the building in central Beirut.
Police had earlier gathered in the buildings stairwell and expelled the media from inside the room where the activists were gathered.
The sit-in came ahead of a deadline set by campaigners for the government to respond to their demands after a massive weekend demonstration.
The campaign set out four key demands: the resignation of Environment Minister Mohammed Mashnuq, new parliamentary elections, the devolvement of trash collection to municipalities and accountability for violence against protesters.
“They refused to listen to our demands that we gave them 72 hours to fulfill,” activist Lucien Bourjeily told AFP.
“They announced clearly that the minister will not resign. We are asking for the resignation of the minister and won’t leave until that happens.”
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