Solidarity with Ghosn

A portrait in support of former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn has been seen on billboards in Beirut streets following his arrest for alleged financial misconduct on November 19. The bright billboards of ousted Nissan chairman posted around Beirut triggered a massive conversation on social media with some expressing solidarity, clamouring that Ghosn is innocent while others have seen his arrest as an example of better accountability in other countries. The Brazil-born entrepreneur is feted in Lebanon as a model of international success, being of Lebanese origin. Ghosn spent his childhood years in Lebanon, and kept travelling back and forth. “We are all Carlos Ghosn,” the digital billboards read, under a large mosaic portrait of the 64-year-old tycoon, who is currently held in a Japanese prison. Dany Kamal, managing partner at Med K&K, an advertising and marketing agency that put them up, said the 18 billboards were a “personal initiative” as he was an acquaintance of Ghosn. “It’s just a campaign against injustice, ”he told Afp. “until proven otherwise, Carlos is not guilty.” It is also worth noting that the Lebanese authorities have repeatedly honoured him, and in 2017 Ghosn’s portrait even appeared on a postal stamp.