Beirut garbage protests met with tear gas and rubber bullets

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Downtown Beirut was turned into a battleground on Saturday evening as a demonstration over an ongoing garbage crisis in the city was met by rubber bullets, water cannons and tear gas.

Thousands turned out earlier in the day to a protest organized by the “You Stink” campaign, a grassroots movement that has harnessed anger over the government’s inability to collect garbage in the capital and elsewhere in the country.

What began as a peaceful march deteriorated into violence when security forces tried to push back protesters by firing into the air. Protesters threw water bottles at police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons.

Gunfire rang out in the center of the city as clashes continued into the night. Protesters fought running battles with police, building barricades and retreating from volleys of tear gas.

Interesting to see that garbage is what united us…and I don't mean the garbage on the streets #YouStink #طلعت_ريحتكم

— Sareen@InkOnTheSide (@sareen_ak) August 23, 2015

More than 75 protesters and 35 police officers were injured in the clashes. As night fell, protesters began setting up tents near the parliament building.

“We should have done this a long time ago,” said Samara, a cab driver who came to the protests. “This country is facing many crises and the government is doing nothing.”

More than just garbage

The You Stink campaign was founded in mid-July when Lebanon’s largest landfill was closed and uncollected garbage piled up in the hot summer sun throughout the city. The crisis is still unresolved, and in lieu of a solution illegal dumps have sprung up around the country.

Since they began, the protests have taken on a wider anti-government sentiment, attracting many who view the garbage crisis as a symptom of a much bigger problem.

Their list of grievances is long: Lebanon has been without a president for more than a year, electricity is intermittent at best, corruption is rife, the country is hosting more than a million refugees and militants from Syria threaten the country’s eastern border. Underpinning all of this, protesters say, is the sectarian nature of the country’s leaders.

“Some trash should not be recycled” read one sign, along with a picture of the country’s top leaders in garbage bags.

#طلعت_ريحتكم some trash should not be recycled pic.twitter.com/KbgfH9XXnm

— Abd Sinjer (@AbedSinJer) August 22, 2015

“We have also been without electricity, without president, without government, and now without people to pick up the trash. At some point we just got fed up,” said Albert, a neuroscientist.

Many came to join the protests after seeing the violence on the TV at home.

“I didn’t agree with the original protests,” said Jamal Awar, an actor. “But when I saw the police beating people I decided to come down.”

What comes next?

Government ministers looked to appease protesters on Sunday, condemning the police response and urging action in parliament.

Lebanon’s prime minister, Tammaam Salam, said he would meet with protesters and conceded that “excessive force” had been used. At a press conference, he said the trash crisis was the "straw that broke the camel's back," according to AFP. "But the story is bigger than this straw. This is about the political trash in this country."

But it remains to be seen whether this deeply divided government can overcome its differences. The cabinet has convened more than 20 times to attempt to elect a president, a post that has been vacant since May last year.

No electricity, no water, no jobs, high prices, garbage, pollution, paralysis. What is the government actually doing? #YouStink

— Abou Abed-أبو العبد (@theabouabed) August 23, 2015

Lebanon’s political system is based on a delicate compromise between the country’s 18 officially recognized sects — an agreement that has been in place since the end of the Lebanese civil war in 1990.

The country’s largest political blocs have been unable to agree on a candidate and the parliament has extended its mandate twice. As a result, the government has reached paralysis.

The You Stink campaign, building on its momentum, issued a call for Salam to resign on Sunday, and promised further protests.

Many demonstrators said they felt that this crisis offers an opportunity for change.

“It’s years of deprivation and helplessness and the feeling of total chaos,” said Albert, the neuroscientist. “Before we were kind of proud. Lebanon can work without electricity. Lebanon functions without the state. We don’t have a president but we still have nightlife, we can still have fun. I think the joke is on us now. It’s not funny anymore.”