"Downtown Beirut: as of now, 28 [people] have been transferred to nearby hospitals, and 190 injured have been treated on location," the Lebanese Red Cross wrote on Twitter.
مظاهرة وسط بيروت: رفع عدد الفرق المستجيبة الى ١٣ وتم نقل حتى الساعة ٤٠ جريح كما تم اسعاف ٢٦٠ مصاب في المكان pic.twitter.com/f4sFnvSAbS
— Lebanese Red Cross (@RedCrossLebanon) February 11, 2020
Earlier on Tuesday, local media reported that security forces had used tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters who gathered near the complex of government buildings to prevent the appointment of the new cabinet headed by Prime Minister Hassan Diab.
Clashes between protesters and riot police / armed forces still going on downtown #Beirut. According to the Red Cross 240 people treated on site while 40 brought to the hospital so far. Tension on the streets is still high. #Lebanon #LebanonProtests pic.twitter.com/xSfBtufVJe
— Sophia Maier (@_sophiamaier) February 11, 2020
The rallies began last October in response to the government's decision to tax WhatsApp calls. Despite the measure eventually being scrapped and then-Prime Minister Saad Hariri and his cabinet resigning, people have remained in the streets to demand economic reforms, specifically in the banking sector, due to the worsening living standards amid a wider economic crisis.
