She does not understand why her face of her 3-year-old daughter has gone viral.
Their daughter, Alexandra Najjar, was one of more than 170 people killed in the colossal chemical explosion that killed Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, on August 4, wounding thousands and deepening Lebanon’s political crisis.
“She was the first young child to die. She is not the youngest, but she was the first,” said her mother, Tracy Awad Najjar.
“I do not know why or how, but she has become a symbol of this tragedy,” she added.
Spunky, talkative and friendly, Alexandra, as “Lexou”, as she was called, is seen sitting on the shoulders of her father, Paul Najjar, waving a Lebanese flag during a protest against anti-government last autumn in pictures which have been widely shared on social media in the two weeks since the explosion.
Alexandra’s face has become a rolling cry against what is seen as government incompetence and neglect, leading to a warehouse fire containing 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, a chemical used in fertilizers and bombs, in the port of Beirut answered.
Her parents said they as a family often attended such demonstrations, calling for a change in the country’s leadership and an end to sectarian politics.
It was a ‘happy moment’, Paul said from the time the photos were taken, adding that his daughter was having ‘fun’.
The family lived less than half a mile from the port in Gemmayzeh, a bustling neighborhood in the city center, known for its historic buildings, bars, restaurants and art galleries.
Their apartment was normally filled with the sound of Disney soundtracks. Alexandra went through a princess phase, Paul said.
Shortly after 6 p.m. on Aug. 4, the blast tore its large glass windows, throwing Tracy and Alexandra into the circle. She shook her head and ran out.
Paul, who was not in the apartment, drove home. Even wounded, he grabbed his barely conscious daughter and joined the thousands of people making their way to the city’s hospitals.
After getting a motorcycle, they went to St. George’s Hospital, not knowing that the ambulance was mostly destroyed.
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A doctor from a room turned her around before marking an ambulance. On the back of the ambulance, she gave oxygen to Alexandra.
“I do not know her name. I wish I would do that again, to thank her,” Paul said. “It was chaos.”
On the way to the Hôtel-Dieu de France hospital, the doctor said that Alexandra had a serious brain injury and probably would not repair it, he said.
They were caught in traffic just blocks from the hospital, so a Red Cross worker took Alexandra out of Paul’s arms and ran inside, “bashing through the doors,” he said.
“They were trying to kill us,” Tracy told her daughter. “Show her that you can be the miracle of this tragedy and wake up.”
Alexandra died within 72 hours, with her parents at her bedside.
The Najjars buried their daughter last week in her favorite Snow White dress.
“She wanted to wear it all the time, so we thought it would be okay,” said Paul, who had two bandages on his face. His wife had bruises under her eyes.
Both blame the government and the elite political class against whom they are protesting for the death of their daughter.
“Imagine, if God forbid, there was the third biggest bomb in the history of the world that was placed in Central Park and no one would do anything about it? And it just sat there for years?” Said Paul.
The ammonium nitrate arrived in the fall of 2013 on a Russian-owned cargo ship, the Rhosus, en route from the Black Sea Georgian port of Batumi to Mozambique, where it was to be used as a fertilizer. The ship was shot down for safety reasons because it was too crowded and listless, said Boris Prokoshev, the captain at the time, this month.
The Russian owner of the ship, Igor Grechushkin, left it, refused to pay docking fees, and the ship was eventually seized by a court to sell to pay the owner’s debts. Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab said the chemical stockpile had been stored at the port for six years without “preventive measures” to protect it.
“We live today in a country that has its people and a system of government, and there is no trust or confidence in the government system – absolutely no one,” Paul said. “Who will investigate? Who will read the report? The same criminals who murdered our daughter?”
Tracy, who has dual Canadian citizenship, said the Canadian consulate called her to offer immediate compassion and assistance.
They have not heard from anyone in the Lebanese government. If nothing changes, they plan to leave Lebanon for good.
“We lost a child. A house. And we’re fighting,” Tracy said. “That, boys, fight with us. Fight with us.”
