On the fourth anniversary of the Beirut Port explosion, the families of the victims held a central gathering around the port. The march began at approximately 5 PM, featuring hundreds of protesters from Martyrs' Square in downtown Beirut, heading towards the Expatriate Statue. A large floral wreath was carried in memory of the victims of the August 4 explosion, while Lebanese flags, photos of the victims, and banners demanding justice and the unveiling of the truth were raised.
The march commenced from the Beirut Fire Brigade center, led by two vehicles from the brigade displaying Lebanese flags stained red, symbolizing the bloodshed on August 4, alongside several MPs and families of Brigade victims holding photos of their loved ones. The Association of Families of Beirut Port Explosion Victims organized gatherings at 4 PM at the Fire Brigade in Karantina and Martyrs' Square to emphasize that "justice has never been achieved in light of numerous deliberate obstacles obstructing the investigation for four years now."
From the Fire Brigade center, the UN Under-Secretary-General Jeanine Hennis stated she stands with the families of the victims who have been seeking a clear stance for nearly four years and affirmed that the United Nations supports them, insisting that justice must be served. When asked about how to achieve that justice, she responded, "We will discuss this later, but I assure you that justice must be served."
A representative of the victims' families, from the Fire Brigade, pledged to continue pursuing their case until justice is realized, even until their last breath. At 6:07 PM, the time of the explosion, the call to prayer was broadcast along with church bells, amidst complete silence from the participants, most of whom exhibited signs of grief and sorrow. Then, the speeches began with a reading of the names of several politicians and Lebanese judiciary members whom the victims' families consider as obstructing the investigations into the port explosion.
The speeches focused on the necessity of continuing the investigation and issuing an indictment, naming those responsible for the explosion, stating that the second crime following the August 4 incident is the obstruction of the investigation. The families also called upon the Attorney General Ghassan Oueidat to retract previous decisions made by his predecessor, and to allow the judicial police to carry out their work so that Judge Tarek Bitar can continue his investigations.
