LEBANESE students were attacked by riot police on Saturday as they protested against massive rises in tuition fees after the country’s leading universities adopted a new dollar exchange rate.

Tear gas was fired at those gathered in front of the prestigious American University of Beirut (AUB) as they approached the main gate; students responded by throwing bottles at security forces.

It was part of a so-called “student day of rage” in response to a decision by AUB and the Lebanese American University (LAU), two of Lebanon’s top private institutions, to price tuition fees based on an exchange rate of 3,900 Lebanese pounds to the dollar.