The You Stink movement Saturday called for a mass demonstration in Downtown Beirut for next week to coincide with a national dialogue session.
You Stink activist and filmmaker Lucien Bou Rjeili said the protest would be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 9, near Nejmeh Square to put pressure on politicians who will gather at Parliament to discuss the country’s political crises.
Bou Rjeili's call came during a news conference outside the Environment Ministry, where 14 young men have been on hunger strike since Thursday to call for the minister’s resignation.
The statement, which was supported by other activist groups that participated in the recent anti-government protests, criticized Speaker Nabih Berri’s call for dialogue, saying it was not a serious attempt to push the country forward.
“We reject his invitation in form and content,” Bou Rjeili said. “It is a call for closing the authorities’ ranks against all citizens.”
The call comes amid a series of street actions led by the group, which is demanding sustainable solutions to the garbage crisis by decentralizing the waste management sector, the resignation of Environment Minister Mohammad Machnouk and immediate parliamentary elections.
On Tuesday, at least two dozens You Stink activists occupied the Environment Ministry for eight hours, which ended with police using force to clear the building.
Machnouk withdrew from the ministerial committee responsible for finding a solution to the garbage crisis last week, but has refused to resign, angering his critics.
A new committee of experts headed by Agriculture Minister Akram Chehayeb was formed to study the problem.
Saturday's statement addressed Machnouk in strong terms, saying he has become "a caricature of negligence and irresponsibility."
The activists also attacked Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk for "fabricating" narratives about what has been happening during the recent protests.
They said the minister promised to hold those responsible for violence against protesters, but has punished just eight members of the security forces involved in beating demonstrators.
The statement called for the immediate release of 24 people who were detained during recent demonstrations.
