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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Top Lebanese celebrity Maya Diab has spoken out about the recent rubbish protests that have taken central Beirut by storm, criticizing the government for its failure to deal with the piles of garbage around the country.

“A_country_governed_by_garbage. This is not a slogan, this is a truth. Politicians in Lebanon dogs,” she tweeted in Arabic.

Protests that initially started peacefully over the weekend descended into violence after clashes between police and protesters that wounded scores.

“You_Stink, whem my father, brother, sister, and daughter go down to protest, it’s a rancid government that can’t smell itself,” another message, which has been re-tweeted 257 times as of Tuesday, read.

The singer, model, and TV host has more than 580,000 followers on Twitter.

Beirut-based activists from the “You Stink” campaign held two large rallies over the weekend, and a smaller march on Monday over uncollected rubbish, reflecting a long-simmering anger about what they say is government incompetence and political corruption.

An emergency Lebanese cabinet meeting on Tuesday ended in failure in a bid to address the garbage crisis amid the street violence and calls for the feuding government to resign.

The trash crisis began last month when the main refuse tip for Beirut was closed, with no ready alternative. While collection has resumed in some areas, no lasting solution has been found.

*Al Arabiya