Lebanese Police Use Water Cannons to Disperse Rally in Beirut
Lebanese police used water cannons to disperse demonstrators near the Riad Al Solh Square in the center of Beirut, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Monday
Earlier in the day, hundreds of citizens, including retired military and members of trade unions, gathered in the center of Beirut for a rally, protesting against cuts in wages and pensions.
"The police began to use water cannons against the rally's participants. Several people managed to get to the car with a water cannon and tried to get into it, but were thrown back by the pressure of water," one of the protesters said.
Prior to that, a group of protesters attempted to take the government building by assault. Several activists entered the building for negotiations with the authorities.
A few days ago, retired military men set up a tent in front of the government building in protest against cuts in pensions and salaries of civil servants. Participants in the indefinite action demand fair reforms and call on the government "not to try to fill the budget deficit from empty sources.
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In April, the Lebanese media reported that the government intended to introduce a number of amendments when forming the new state budget, which might include reduction in salaries of public servants, an increase in taxes and a decrease in pensions and medical insurance.
According to experts, such amendments can be adopted by the cabinet to meet the requirements of European donor states, which pledged $12 billion in loans as an aid to Lebanon at a summit in Paris last year. One of the conditions for the provision of funds is to reduce wages.
Even before official decisions and adoption of laws, the reports provokes mass strikes by the country's trade unions, including retired servicemen. Teachers, judges and social security officers joined the military. The employees of the central bank also announced a strike for several days, suspending banking operations and the work of the local stock exchange.