Mass protests erupt in Lebanon on occasion of first anniversary of the Beirut blasts
August 5, 2021, 6:35 am

Mass protests erupt in Lebanon on occasion of first anniversary of the Beirut blasts

port blast-lebanon

The Xinhua reported according to the al-Jadeed local TV channel, several mass protests broke out in Lebanon, mainly at the Port of Beirut, calling for justice for the victims on the occasion of the first anniversary of the Beirut blasts.

According to the report, protesters in downtown Beirut attempted to break into the parliament by throwing stones toward security forces, while the riot police used smoke bombs and water cannons to disperse them.

Meanwhile, families of the victims called for a transparent investigation to reveal the truth behind the explosions.

One year after the deadly explosions rocked the Beirut port on Aug. 4, 2020, which was caused by the unsafe storage of a huge quantity of ammonium nitrate at the Port of Beirut for years and claimed the lives of 214 people and wounded over 6,000 others, no senior official has been held accountable, sparking anger among the Lebanese as their country also suffers from financial collapse.

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Source: xinhua
Image source: xinhua

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.