Day 1 of demo ends in violent clash between protesters and police
Police announce arrests and moves to prosecute perpetrators
A leading member of the Arise Ghana demonstration, Sammy Gyamfi has suggested that persons planted by Police triggered a situation that led to the June 28, 2022 protest turning chaotic.
According to the National Communications Officer of the main opposition National Democratic Congress, NDC, the action of the agent provocateurs was to create the impression that the group had violent tendencies.
“They are agent provocateurs planted in their midst by the Police, these are not members of the Arise Ghana. We arrested them and gave them to the Police," he told a press conference late Tuesday.
“We did not go there with sticks, we did not go there with stones, we went there with our voice to protest against the obnoxious e-levy which amounts to thievery. Our hands are clean, our conscience are clean, we believe in what we are doing," he stressed.
At the same event, another organizer, Bernard Mornah also spoke about how some people believed to have been planted by the Police triggered the attacks that led to the police firing tear gas, rubber bullets and deploying water cannons.
"Some (ones) of the police officials were wearing clothes like this (Arise Ghana red shirts), I didn’t know they were police officers. So, when I said please go back so that these officers can go up with us they told me right in front of the police – this was not in-camera, this was open.
"That they are police officers and they are protecting their bosses and pointed to Yohonu and those who were standing there. Police officers wearing Arise Ghana T-shirts," he alleged.
TWI NEWS
Brief of what we know so far:
Police announced the arrest of 29 people in connection with violent incidents that marred the Arise Ghana demonstration at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle.
According to a statement dated June 28 and signed by Chief Superintendent Grace Ansah-Akrofi, Director of Public Affairs, the Police were also reviewing available footage with the view to making more arrests if need be.
"The Police have arrested 29 demonstrators for their participation in violent attacks on the Police and some members of the public including school children during the Arise Ghana demonstration in Accra…” the June 28, 2022 statement added.
The statement further disclosed that leaders of the protest will be arrested and arraigned for the attacks and damage to property according to provisions under relevant laws.
In an earlier statement, the Police said a dozen of its officers were injured in the clash and were receiving treatment at the Police Hospital.
A GhanaWeb reporter observed that stones were thrown at the police by some irate supporters following which tear gas and rubber bullets were fired as police moved to thwart the change of route for the protests.
Water canon was also deployed as some protesters mounted road blocks by burning tyres in the middle of the road.
Arise Ghana, an amalgamation of groups and individuals organized the two-day protest to highlight the rising cost of living and issues of misgovernance.
Despite a court order relative to time and route of the protest, the leaders insisted on following a route other than the one ordered by the court, an insistence by the Police that they obey the agreed upon route resulted in the skirmishes.
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