More Saudi women take the lead with over 78,000 in senior roles, 551,000 business owners    Over 40,000 expatriates face legal procedures for regulatory enforcement    King Salman and Crown Prince donate SR70 million to National Charitable Campaign    World Bank estimates Lebanon needs $11 billion for economic recovery and reconstruction    Saudi Arabia reaffirms rejection of Palestinian displacement at OIC meeting    Russia accuses EU of 'dangerous geopolitical games' over rearmament plans    Powell: Fed in no rush to adjust policy amid Trump administration's economic shifts    France begins military withdrawal from Senegal    Al Shabab stuns 10-man Al Nassr with late equalizer; Al Hilal closes gap at the top    Grand Mosque receives record number of Umrah pilgrims on Wednesday    From scholarships to housing, college students struggle with the effects of Trump orders against DEI    Saudi taekwondo star Dunia Abu Talib wins IOC gender equality award for Asia    Jeddah launches test run of sea taxi, connecting 3 waterfront locations Fare ranges between SR25 and SR50, and operation from 3:30 pm to 1:30 am during Ramadan    How TikTok is nurturing Saudi Arabia's STEM scene to support Vision 2030 goals    Mitrović returns to boost Al Hilal ahead of crucial clashes, Savić sidelined    Kanté rescues Al Ittihad with last-gasp equalizer against Al Qadsiah    Real-life shipwreck story wins major book award    Islamic Arts Biennale celebrates Ramadan with 'Biennale Nights' in Jeddah    Nora Razian and Sabih Ahmed appointed artistic directors for 2026 Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale    UK death rate 'reaches record low'    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Angry volunteers chase out ministers visiting Beirut blast site
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 08 - 08 - 2020

Two ministers who tried to visit Beirut neighborhoods ravaged by the deadly blast at the city's port were chased out by seething volunteers clearing up debris in the days after the cataclysmic explosion.
The shock at Tuesday's blast has turned to public rage directed at the political class, already accused by many Lebanese of rampant corruption and incompetence.
Education Minister Tarek Majzoub sought to change that perception on Friday, bringing a broom to the ruined Karantina neighborhood to join crowds sweeping up shards of glass and other debris.
But he was met with furious chants of "Resign," "The people want the fall of the regime," and "Prepare the gallows!"
Although the explosion's exact cause remains unclear, the Lebanese public has accused the entrenched political class of failing to protect civilians and falling short in the relief response.
Officials have said a huge shipment of hazardous ammonium nitrate had languished for years in a warehouse at the port and somehow caught fire, leading to Tuesday's earth-shaking blast.
Lebanon's President Michel Aoun vowed "swift justice", but few citizens have faith in the government's probe.
On Thursday, Justice Minister Marie-Claude Najm had tried to walk through the Gemmayzeh neighborhood, a few hundred meters from the port.
"Minister of corruption, not minister of justice!" chanted young people who were volunteering to clean up the hard-hit district.
"If you had any honor, you'd resign," one woman yelled, her face twisted in rage.
Majzoub and Najm are freshmen in Lebanese politics, joining a Cabinet that has only been in power since January.
But they have not been spared from the public outrage following the port catastrophe.
French President Emmanuel Macron had visited Gemmayzeh too, wading through throngs of people displaced by the explosion or helping clear the rubble.
A day after the blast, former prime minister Saad Al-Hariri had toured the remains of the port before heading to his father Rafic's tomb.
The elder Hariri, who also served as premier, was assassinated in 2005 and is buried in downtown Beirut.
During Saad's visit, an enraged woman kicked and slammed her fists against a car in his convoy.
The younger Hariri resigned following a mass protest movement launched in October, which has since dimmed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But the port blast has reignited calls to oust the political elite, with new protests planned for Saturday afternoon with the slogan, "Hang them by the gallows." — Agencies


Clic here to read the story from its source.