Posted on September 29, 2020

Armed Louisville Store Owner Explains Why He Refused to Bow Down to BLM Mob When They Demanded He Repeat ‘Black Lives Matter’

Karen Ruiz and James Gordon, Daily Mail, September 28, 2020

A Louisville store owner who was filmed in a tense confrontation with Black Lives Matter protesters who tried to get him to say ‘black lives matter’ has defended his refusal in a Fox interview.

Footage of the incident, shared on Twitter, shows a small crowd of BLM activists grilling business owner Fadi Faouri, as he stood outside his store holding a rifle.

A group of Black Lives Matter protesters could be seen demanding he voice his support for the movement during a third night of Breonna Taylor demonstrations in the city.

On Monday night, Faouri spoke with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson to explain his actions.

‘Why would you not just say what the mob wanted you to say? Why did you resist?’ Carlson asked.

‘The answer to that question is because no one can force me to do something that I don’t want to do. It’s just for the simple fact like, I’m a free man, you know? That’s the simple answer to it.’

Faouri, who was born and raised in Jordan but who has lived in the United States for 24 years further qualified his remarks.

‘Nobody can intimidate me basically, it’s that simple. They basically tried to force me to say black lives matter or her name Breonna Taylor. And I was like, I’m not, I’m not going to do it. Whether they like it or not.’

Faouri confirmed that he has received plenty of support as a result of what happened.

‘I’ve been given support from all over the country and I’ve been getting hundreds and hundreds of phone calls, messages from all over. I believe that there’s a video of me… and they got attention from everybody and even from the local news, surprisingly. Now everybody wants to do an interview with me.’

During the tense encounter with protesters, the group can seen ganging up on Faouri for several minutes as they challenge his views on the BLM movement and the police shooting of Taylor after he refuses to say he supports the cause.

The exchange kicks off after a man asks Faouri, ‘do black lives matter?’ to which he replies: ‘If you’re a good person I will care about you, if you’re a bad person….’ before shrugging.

The man then asks him if ‘Breonna Taylor matters’. Faouri hesitates for a few seconds before responding: ‘Does it matter? I don’t know.’

The conversation turned tense after a woman comes into frame questioning his response and more members of the crowd start urging Faouri to explain what he means.

‘Are you trying to intimidate me? I’m not playing that game,’ Faouri says, as he explains that he is trying to protect his business.

An argument then ensues as the group starts to close in on the store owner and continue to demand he say whether or not he believes in their cause. A person in the background can be heard shouting, ‘we don’t want your business’.

Faouri turns his attention to the initial male protester telling him he will not be forced to say anything he doesn’t believe. ‘Nobody can intimidate me,’ he says.

The two parties continue to argue for several seconds but Faouri remains defiant in his refusal to engage in their debate and the protesters eventually disperse, with the exception of one woman.

The woman, who claimed to be a documentary filmmaker, approaches Faouri and criticizes him for his stance, or lackthereof, as she lectures him over the injustice surrounding Breonna Taylor’s death.

‘That’s not my f**king business!’ Faouri replies.

‘It should be your business because all lives matter right?’ the woman says, as she starts to debate Faouri on racial disparities. ‘You can say that, but it’s the color black that is the issue,’ she adds.

‘You have an issue with that, I don’t have an issue,’ Faouri says in response. ‘I don’t care, white or black bulls***t, I see you as a human being, that’s all that I care about.’

The debate finally comes to an end after a fellow protester urges the woman to leave the area.

One of Faouri’s buildings was later firebombed during the protests. It is not known if protesters specifically targeted his building.

Protests continue to rock the city and other areas of across the country days after a grand jury refused to charge Louisville police officers with Breonna Taylor’s murder.

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Original Article