Lebanon's Christian religious authorities on Tuesday urged anti-government protesters to give a new government breathing room to tackle a dire financial crisis, condemning what they described as mob assaults on security forces in recent marches.
Many demonstrators have rejected the government formed last week by the Iran-backed Shi'ite group Hezbollah and its allies without the participation of major political parties including the second-largest Christian party, Lebanese Forces (LF).
Demonstrations that began last October against a political elite blamed for steering Lebanon into its worst crisis in decades have turned violent as some protesters clashed with security forces at barricades around parliament and government headquarters in central Beirut to demand an independent cabinet.
"The Fathers stress the right for peaceful demonstrations to demand reform, but strongly reject the mobs on the streets and squares, especially in Beirut, lest the mobilization veers away from its noble goals," the Christian religious leaders said in a statement after a summit.