400 injured in Lebanon clashes
Almost 400 people were wounded Saturday during
running battles between anti-government protesters and Lebanese security forces
in the capital Beirut, rescuers said.
It was the heaviest toll since the protests erupted
three months ago, with the Red Cross and Civil Defense saying 377 people at
least were rushed to hospital or treated at the scene.
More demonstrations were expected later Sunday as
part of the wave of popular protests that has demanded the wholesale ouster of
the Lebanese political class, which the activists condemn as inept and corrupt.
Protesters had called Saturday for a week of
"anger" as an economic crisis deepened while efforts remained
deadlocked to form a new government to replace the one that stepped down under
street pressure late last year.
Saturday's clashes began after dozens of protesters,
some concealing their faces with scarves, threw rocks, plant pots and other
objects at anti-riot police guarding the road leading to parliament.
Others tried to breach barbed wire barricades to
reach the legislature building or charged police lines using traffic signs as
weapons.
The security forces responded with water cannon and
tear gas to disperse the crowds.
