On Monday, the families of the victims of the Beirut Port explosion marked 20 months since the devastating blast that had killed their loved ones.
They organized a march from Gemmayze to the port, where they gathered and expressed their resentment towards the political class, which, according to them, is the main cause behind the Beirut Blast.
Carrying portraits of their loved ones, they expressed their anger in a statement addressed to the politicians, particularly those who have been evading justice.
“What made you run for elections while you are being accused? You belong in prison, not in the parliament. You are running to secure your cover with immunities. Shame on you…,” they said in their statement.
“Do not vote for them because they are fleeing from justice,” they called on the people.
A bereaved mother spoke, saying: “We want people [in the parliament who do] not to leave us and for them not to abandon their cause and the destroyed Beirut and our tragedy. We do not care about candidates or politicians, we only care about our cause. Be with us and do not leave Beirut. Every 4th, come down with us and raise your voice against those who killed you.”
The Beirut Blast of August 4, 2020, was the “last straw” for all the Lebanese people. Many saw their houses and businesses shattered, their relatives and friends murdered, and their capital city destroyed.
Meanwhile, the political class is still acting as if that mass murder and mass destruction did not happen, even pressuring to obstruct the investigation and keep the truth buried in darkness.
There were even deadly clashes triggered by a political partisans’ protest against the investigation and the judge in charge.
Families of some of the victims had to file a lawsuit against two former ministers last month as political power continues to obstruct the investigation.
Many Lebanese are demanding an international probe into the blast to ensure no internal political interference and that the real criminals are held accountable.
Each 4th of the month, relatives and friends of the victims have been gathering in the streets of Beirut, as a way to remind the state of the killed victims and demand justice.
20 months since the horrendous crime and there are still wounded victims agonizing in hospitals, and the Beirut Blast still claiming lives.
Just a few weeks ago, two of these victims, Julia Audi and Rita Antoun Hardini, gave their last breaths after suffering for long months since the explosion.
Over 234 innocent people were killed by the explosion of August 4th, 2020.
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