At least 16 people have been injured in clashes in central Beirut between Lebanese security forces and demonstrators calling for a solution to weeks of uncollected rubbish.
Thousands of people rallied on Saturday to protest against the government's inability to clean up the capital and other parts of Lebanon where the streets are overflowing with rubbish.
Organised by the "You Stink" campaign, the demonstrators gathered in Riad al-Solh Square near the parliament building and chanted slogans against the government and political leaders.
Some protesters threw water bottles and firecrackers at security forces who had set up barricades and barbed wire to prevent people from approaching parliament.
Demonstrators tried to pull down the barricades in an attempt to storm parliament and security forces retaliated with tear gas and water cannons.
Some protesters were also beaten with batons.
"There are now at least 16 people who are wounded in total," a Red Cross official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
He could not specify how many were in critical condition or what types of injuries they had sustained.
The "You Stink" campaign has staged several protests calling for a comprehensive solution to the waste problem that erupted after Lebanon's largest landfill closed on July 17.
Since then, some municipalities have collected rubbish but then disposed of it at illegal dump sites.
AFP
