Paul Naggear: From the Disaster of the Beirut Blast to the Hope of Change

”The regime insists on blocking the electoral process in the engineering syndicate elections, but we insist on organizing, planning, recruiting, and running for the elections on the 27th of June.” He posted on his Instagram feed.

On the 21st June, many families-parents and children- get together to celebrate fathers’ day. This year however, it was different for Paul Naggear; his 3-year old child was killed by the blast of August 4.  After losing his child Alexandra, Paul Naggear vowed to stand up to the government at every chance. As such, he joined various demonstrations countless times, protesting against the conduct of a careless and corrupt government. His daughter’s life was taken away from him and the useless investigation kept churning out well-known facts all media outlets have been blabbing out for months. Paul is very well aware that the truth is out there but is being hidden for several unknown reasons. One thing he knows however, he will not sit and watch the pain ruin the remainder of his life: He will fight the good fight for the sake of his daughter’s memory, the people he cares about, and his country. With all the calamity warping Lebanon, his emotions, grief and anger, will prove to be an effective combination when standing up to the corrupt rulers.

Paul’s latest move is his announcement that he will be running as a Secular Engineers and Architects’ candidate for the syndicate whose elections were postponed for no obvious reason. This year however, and on the 27th of June, he plans to win the elections in hopes of inciting change.

Let Paul’s actions be an example for everyone: If Lebanese were to tap on that pain- that energy – that simple primal difference may be the key to real change in the country.

Communication and Public Relations Department