Amidst the violent government crackdown against protesters in Lebanon protesting over the official negligence over the Beirut port blast, an image of basketball legend Fadi El Khatib Aka Lebanese Tiger carrying an injured protester has gone viral.
A massive protest across Lebanon over the government's negligence that led to the Beirut blast has been met with fierce resistance from the authorities who have deployed the army to quell the movement.
Fadi El-Khatib, who is nicknamed the Lebanese Tiger and plays for Champville SC, also joined the mass of protesters and was photographed carrying an injured protester to safety after the army started shooting tear-gas and violenting beating up the protesters in an attempt to disperse the crowd.
The Lebanese Basketball player who is regarded as one of the best in Asia and by many pundits of the new era named as the greatest one also shared a video in which he is still wearing the white tee with stains of blood and he asks everyone for joining the protests in the streets.
"We live together. And we have to learn how to do it well. And understand once and for all that our cause is unanimous: Justice for Beirut. Justice for our deceased families and friends. Justice for 30 years of corruption. Corruption. Corruption. Corruption. There shouldn't be anything stronger for us," Lebanese professional basketball player said in a post on Instagram.
Earlier in an interview with CNN, a teary-eyed Fadi El-Khatib after the blast that killed at least 158 people and injured more than 6,000 said that the damage to the city was far worse than what is being shown on the TV.
"It's doomed. It's ruined. It's damaged. It's broken. Every single house in Beirut," the 41-year-old El Khatib told CNN Sport.
"Everything we've built ... It's ruined within 30 seconds. You have no idea the damage that's happened to Beirut," he said adding that in 2020 the Lebanese are forced to live in a world without electricity or basic amenities.
In the blast, Fadi who owns a sports complex and restaurant were destroyed including his home.
Lebanese are angry
The anger of thousands of local residents who have been hit hard by the massive blast that destroyed homes and business establishment is now spilling out on the streets.
While the government now has put the army out to control the masses, the Lebanese have refused to back down forcing Prime Minister Hassan Diab to announce early elections.
The protesters, however, still have continued to target several government ministries.
"Prepare the gallows because our anger doesn't end in one day," warned one widely shared message circulating on social media following the huge ammonium nitrate explosion.
