(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) Calm was restored in downtown Beirut's Al-Shuhada Square and Riyadh Al-Solh Squares after protests were wrapped up and a number of arrests took place.
Earlier on Saturday, a large numbers of protesters gathered at the Squares and gave the Lebanese government a 72-hour ultimatum to meet their demands or they will escalate their protests.
According to official media outlets, riot police evacuated the Squares before performing the arrests.
Tension ran high between the protesters and the riot police when the former threw stones and water bottles at the policemen guarding the government palace near Riyadh Al-Solh.
They chanted calling for sacking of Minister of Environment Mohammad Al-Mashnuq, and bringing to book the Minister of Interior and Municipal Affairs Nuhad Al-Mashnuq, and tracking down the gunmen who opened fire at the protesters last week.
The violent acts that accompanied the protests injured 146 riot policemen and 61 protesters, the minister of interior said, noting that all those detained were released except for seven.
The demonstrations, which started here last week in protest against the accumulated garbage, has got political dimensions and attracted growing numbers of trade unionists, public figures and artistic celebrities from across the country.
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