Lebanese security forces on Wednesday (March 22) fired tear gas at hundreds of protesters, mostly retired members of the security forces, who had gathered near government buildings in Beirut in anger at deteriorating economic conditions, Reuters reports.
Crowds gathered in the streets of downtown Beirut between parliament and the government serail, carrying Lebanon's tricolor or flags bearing the logos of security forces.
They were outraged at the deteriorating value of state pensions paid in the local currency. The pound has lost more than 98 percent of its value against the U.S. dollar since 2019.
“I served 22 years in the military institution, in the cold and in the heat, we sacrificed everything for this country. We sacrificed everything for this country. But we will not accept to be humiliated this way. We will take the streets until our rights," said Walid Bekaai, a retired army personnel.
Some of the men tried to cross one of the checkpoints leading to a government building, prompting security forces to fire tear gas to keep them back, according to a Reuters witness.
Protesters dashed away from white clouds emanating from locations around the serail. One soldier was seen treating a young boy who was affected by the tear gas.
"If he fires on us, he's firing on our rights and on his rights at the same time," said army veteran Ahmad Mustafa, 60.
There was no immediate statement from the Lebanese army.
Lebanon's economic meltdown began in 2019 after decades of profligate spending and alleged corruption. Its onset prompted the most wide-ranging protests the country had seen in years, but they fizzled out and rallies have been sporadic since.
The country's top financial and political leaders have allowed the crisis to fester, with the Lebanese pound hitting an all-time low of 140,000 to the U.S. dollar on Tuesday before an intervention by the country's central bank.
Lebanon's army troops and members of the security forces are receiving salary support in U.S. dollars from the United States and Qatar for the first time.
