Fires, tear gas in second night of Beirut protests

Fires broke out at the entrance to Beirut's Parliament Square on Sunday night (August 9).

Lebanese riot police wearing body armor and wielding batons, fired tear gas to try and disperse protesters hurling rocks and blocking a road nearby.

It was a second night of violent anti-government protests triggered by the devastating blast which leveled large parts of the city last Tuesday.

Demonstrators reportedly also broke into the housing and transport ministry offices.

One Lebanese protester, Abdelrahman, says he spent the first three days after the explosion picking up debris from the street--helping to clean up what was left of the city.

"Our first reaction after the explosion was that we wanted to clean, to help the people that had been affected. We cleaned the first day, the second day, the third day and then that's it, we wanted to make our voices heard. What happened is not something new, it has been like this for years, this is unacceptable, it has to end."

Many Lebanese say the explosion, which has killed over 150 people and injured more than 6000, has only highlighted the negligence of a corrupt political elite.

Lebanon's prime minister and president said the explosion was caused by the improper storage of over 2,500 tons of ammonium nitrate.

It gutted entire neighbourhoods, left 250,000 people homeless, and destroyed critical grain supplies.

Two government ministers have resigned amid the political fallout of the blast, saying the government has failed to reform.

This weekend's protests were the largest the city's seen since October as some 10,000 people turned Martyrs' Square into a battleground.

One policeman was killed and the Red Cross said more than 170 people were injured in clashes.

Mona Hakim was one of the many demonstrators who witnessed the chaos that ensued.

"I was definitely disappointed by the armed forces, but I have to say, to some extent, I was a bit disappointed by the people as well. Because we were hoping to stay much more peaceful. And I understand their anger, I am angry too, but I prefer to limit the casualties."

For many, the blast was a dreadful reminder of a decade-long civil war that destroyed swathes of Beirut, much of which had since been rebuilt.

But now -- much of the city must be rebuilt again, in what will likely take several years and billions of dollars.

An emergency donor conference on Sunday hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron raised pledges worth nearly $300 million dollars for immediate humanitarian relief.