PSP: Officials Must Form Govt to Face Serious Challenges after Tripoli Clashes

The Progressive Socialist Party deplored in a statement the latest incidents in the impoverished northern city of Tripoli, urging authorities to expedite a government formation in order to face these “serious challenges.”

“It is more useful for authorities to form a government as soon as possible to face these dangerous challenges. The time is not for political games, but for responsible action to secure the rights of the people, to protect the State, the nation and entity,” said the PSP in a statement.

“Again, Tripoli and its people pay the harshest price due to decades of neglect, historical injustice, and deep deprivation,” added the statement, noting that poverty and hunger in the impoverished city incite such incidents.

The PSP said the city has long been abandoned by authorities.

“With all this suspicious abandonment” by authorities, the need arises for “genuine and effective support for poor and needy families, starting with Tripoli,” in order to “deter exploiters from using the people’s rightful needs to stoke the flames of crisis.”

The party stressed the need for “official, urgent and effective moves to secure the rights of the people of Tripoli, and the whole Lebanese community, in parallel with a decisive decision not to harm security or civil peace,” it cocnluded.

A protester was killed and 226 people were injured in overnight clashes in Tripoli.

Dozens of young men have been taking part in the nightly protests, throwing rocks, firecrackers and Molotov cocktails at security forces and in some cases torching vehicles.

On Wednesday, protesters repeatedly tried to break into the municipal building and the Internal Security Forces said several “military hand grenades” were lobbed at security forces.

The ISF responded with water cannons, volleys of tear gas and live ammunition.