After being arrested and released the previous night, William Noun, the brother of the Beirut Blast victim Joe Noun, woke up this morning to find that his car is wrecked and its tires are slashed, and he also received threatening phone calls.
During the protest in front of the house of the designated MP Najib Mikati, the riot police violently arrested William Noun.
Under reportedly intense pressure and people blocking roads in Jbeil, Willian was released later that night around 9:20 PM.
William Noun is actively outspoken about the government’s implication in the death of his brother, Joe Noun, in the Beirut Port Explosion on August 4th, 2020, which killed over 230 people and injured thousands.
Joe Noun is one of the heroes of the Beirut fire brigade killed in the line of duty while attempting to extinguish the fire at the warehouse storing the Ammonium Nitrate.
He was dispatched to the Beirut Port to respond to the fire at the port that ignited the massive explosion minutes upon the arrival of his unit. He was killed along with the members of the Fire Brigade.
Many high-ranking state officials and officers as well as high-ranking politicians knew about the presence of the ammonium nitrate in the port prior to the explosion, even for years in some cases.
While some were allegedly involved in the import and/or storing of the dangerous material, the negligence of the officials who knew and didn’t act has been as unforgivable by the people, especially by the families who lost their loved ones.
With no justice served to date and officials and MPs obstructing the investigation of Judge Tarek Bitar, like his predecessor on this high-profile case, anger has been mounting for over a year.
It reached its peak with the horrific explosion on Sunday in Akkar that killed over 20 people and wounded countless, including Lebanese soldiers. People reacted with protests, among which the one William Noun took part in.
The assault on Noun’s cars and the threatening calls meant to intimidate him can’t possibly subdue him and his anger and pain at the loss of his brother, or subdue any of the families of the Beirut Blast Victims.
The families of the victims along with the majority of the Lebanese people are rightfully angry, and even furious, and want justice. It is unreasonable to assume that protests will stop until then and that their voices could be silenced.
