BEIRUT, Lebanon
Scores of protesters from the popular “You Stink” campaign on Tuesday stormed the headquarters of Lebanon’s Environment Ministry in central Beirut.
Once inside the building, demonstrators started a sit-in to demand the resignation of Environment Minister Mohammad Machnouk in an apparent escalation of protests that began on Aug. 22.
“This step [occupation of the ministry] comes after the non-response of the authorities to the demands of thousands demonstrators,” Beyar Hashash, a founder of the “You Stink” campaign, told Anadolu Agency.
“This is our first step following the expiry of a 72-hour deadline that we gave to Lebanese officials [to resolve the country’s garbage crisis],” Hashash said.
“Our message has been delivered to the authorities, who obviously don’t care about the people’s demands,” he added, going on to warn of further escalation in the event their grievances were not addressed.
Al-Mashnouk, meanwhile, remains besieged in his office by protesters calling for his resignation, while police have been deployed around the ministry headquarters.
The demonstrations, originally organized to protest Beirut’s ongoing sanitation crisis, began one month ago with only four people but have since grown to include tens of thousands.
Campaigners demand the resignation of Machnouk – who, they say, has mismanaged the sanitation crisis – and Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk for using what they describe as unnecessary force against protesters during earlier demonstrations.
Campaigners also demand that the finances of Lebanon’s municipalities be freed up so that the country’s municipal authorities can manage sanitation in their own jurisdictions.
