Lebanese riot police cleared dozens of protesters camps in Downtown Beirut on Friday evening as the country’s curfew measures came into effect, local media reported.
Protestors told local media, The Daily Star, that police came at 6:30 p.m. without any warning and told them to leave immediately.
“When people refused, they attacked and destroyed every tent,” one protester told the daily.
The protest camps have been a permanent fixture in Downtown Beirut since nationwide anti-government protests erupted on Oct. 17 last year.
Information Minister Manal Abdel-Samad said on Thursday that the coronavirus lockdown measures would be extended by an additional two weeks and announced the introduction of a curfew between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. local time.
Coronavirus lockdown measures were first introduced on March 15 and were due to end by March 29 but have now been extended until April 12 as the country continues to battle against the virus. The virus has so far killed eight people and infected 391.
