A group of protesters carried out a movement in front of the home of Prime Minister Najib Mikati in downtown Beirut in protest against Mikati’s saying, “We want to bear each other,” amid the spread of riot police and security forces.

The protesters tried to bypass the iron barriers, but the security forces confronted them and asked them to “stay far so that they don’t use force to prevent them from approaching.”

On Thursday, Mikati addressed the Lebanese in a televised statement telling them that the state is no longer able to provide its citizens with electricity, telecoms, and water for free, due to the lack of sufficient funds for that.

He added, “The citizen is arguing that his money is withheld in the banks, so we have to bear some.”