Riot police fire tear gas as protests continue

Lebanese riot police fired tear gas at protesters on Friday night in downtown Beirut as demonstrations turned violent. Protesters were seen smashing windows, setting fire to shops and pelting security with rocks. The tension, although a fraction of the night before, gripped Beirut and security forces tried to contain the rowdy crowd, at times having to use tear gas.

Some protesters threw stones at police officers in an expression of anger at their perceived role in deepening their economic malaise. Lebanon's prime minister held an emergency cabinet meeting on Friday, hours after demonstrators shut roads across the country with burning tires in renewed nationwide protests spurred by a plunging national currency and economic crisis. Lebanon's political and financial elite throughout Friday made addresses promising to stabilise the Lebanese pound, but their statements fell on the deaf ears with a population exhausted by empty pledges.