Public anger against cash-strapped banks boiled over in crisis-hit Lebanon where demonstrators armed with metal rods, fire extinguishers and rocks attacked branches in protest at controls that have trapped the savings of ordinary depositors.
The Red Cross said Wednesday that at least 37 people were injured in an overnight showdown during which protesters smashed windows of banks and scuffled with security forces in the capital's Hamra commercial district.
Police said 59 people were detained, making it one of the largest wave of arrests since Lebanon's anti-government protest movement began on October 17 demanding a complete government overhaul.
As the movement nears the start of its fourth month, banks have become a prime target of demonstrators who charge them with driving the country towards its worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.
On Wednesday morning in Hamra, a banking hub, almost every branch was left with smashed display windows, destroyed ATMs and graffiti-daubed walls, after what the Association of Banks condemned as a "savage" onslaught.
Banks opened their doors despite the wreckage, as cleaners wiped spray paint off walls and workers replaced window fronts.
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With some ATMs destroyed beyond repair, passers-by looked on in astonishment at the aftermath of the night-time assault on banks.
"There is a lot of anger," Alia told AFP in front a damaged branch.
"You have to go to the bank twice to withdraw just USD 200."