ISF Contains Riad al-Solh Scuffles between Protesters, 'Nasrallah Defenders'
Scuffles renewed Thursday at Beirut's Riad al-Solh Square between anti-government protesters and young men accusing them of "insulting" Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
The scuffles had first erupted Wednesday evening but took a more violent turn on Thursday with the increase in the numbers of both the protesters and the "Nasrallah defenders."
Riot police intervened twice on Thursday and separated between the two groups. Al-Jadeed TV meanwhile said an army force had also arrived on the scene.
Several people were injured according to TV networks.
The pro-Nasrallah group tried to remove tents erected by the protesters during the scuffles.
Protesters responded by chanting "All of them means all of them", a slogan popularized during the 2015 protests and heavily used during the 2019 revolt.
Some protesters and media reports said the Nasrallah supporters share the demonstrators' grievances but refuse any mention or reference to Nasrallah. Other protesters and reports said the pro-Nasrallah young men were deliberately seeking to disrupt the sit-in.
Progressive Socialist Party leader ex-MP Walid Jumblat meanwhile condemned “attacks on protesters, wherever they may come from.”
Source: Naharnet
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