Angry Lebanese mobbed French President Emmanuel Macron in Beirut on Thursday, demanding his help in overthrowing their reviled leaders, as outrage grew over a devastating explosion caused by thousands of tons of dangerous chemicals that were stored in the capital for years despite repeated warnings. The visiting French leader warned that without structural reform the country would "continue to sink", as the death toll rose to 145 and over 5,000 injured by the port blast that damaged half of Beirut, the capital of a country already facing economic collapse. Touring a heavily damaged Beirut neighbourhood, Mr Macron was met by an angry crowd chanting "Revolution" and "The people want to bring down the regime," slogans used during nationwide protests last year. Surrounded by traumatised demonstrators pleading for help, Mr Macron pushed past bodyguards to hug a woman, something no Lebanese leader has done since the disaster on Tuesday. "Don't give money to our government, we don’t trust them," one woman called to the French leader. Mr Macron said he would ask Lebanon's leaders to accept "a new political deal" and "to change the system, to stop the division of Lebanon, to fight against corruption". He said he was not there to endorse the "regime" and vowed that French aid would not fall into the "corrupt hands”.
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