The families of the victims and survivors of the Beirut port explosion rejected the government’s decision to demolish the grain silos, which were partially destroyed in the explosion, as “evidence of the crime and a symbol of the people’s tragedy.”

Although these silos were badly damaged by the explosion that occurred on August 4, 2020, which killed 218 people, injured more than 7,500 and caused great losses in the Lebanese capital, the large grain silos are still erected as a witness to the tragedy that the country experienced and turned into a symbol of what happened.

Even this symbol gained international recognition, with videos spreading around the world, as the silo building contributed to repelling the explosion and remained standing in the place where it was built in the 1960s, which has a capacity to hold about 120 thousand tons of grain.

On March 18, the Minister of Culture, Mohamed Mortada, announced that the silos were classified as historical monuments. The decision of the Minister of Culture is in line with the wishes of the families of the victims and survivors, who strongly oppose the demolition of the silos and call to turn them into a place of memory. But the people believe that the minister’s decision is subject to cancellation.

It seems that there is a determination to demolish this (the landmark), which reminds of crime and criminals and a tragedy of the tragedies of the Lebanese.