Lebanon breaks out mass protests amid 1st anniversary of Beirut blasts

A woman holds a placard with portraits of the victims of the Beirut blasts during a protest near the Port of Beirut, Lebanon, on Aug. 4, 2021. Several mass protests broke out in Lebanon, mainly at the Port of Beirut, calling for justice for the victims on the occasion of the first anniversary of the Beirut blasts, al-Jadeed local TV channel reported. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)

BEIRUT, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Several mass protests broke out in Lebanon, mainly at the Port of Beirut, calling for justice for the victims on the occasion of the first anniversary of the Beirut blasts, al-Jadeed local TV channel reported.

According to the report, protesters in downtown Beirut attempted to break into the parliament by throwing stones toward security forces, while the riot police used smoke bombs and water cannons to disperse them.

Meanwhile, families of the victims called for a transparent investigation to reveal the truth behind the explosions.

One year after the deadly explosions rocked the Beirut port on Aug. 4, 2020, which was caused by the unsafe storage of a huge quantity of ammonium nitrate at the Port of Beirut for years and claimed the lives of 214 people and wounded over 6,000 others, no senior official has been held accountable, sparking anger among the Lebanese as their country also suffers from financial collapse.