Protesters being taken to the police vehicle after their arrest
Police arrested 49 Occupy Jubilee House protesters, including their leaders, in Accra yesterday, accusing them of unlawful assembly and violating the Public Order Act.
Despite police warnings, hundreds of red-and-black-clad protesters congregated near the Jubilee House, the seat of government, and the 37 Military Hospital area to demand that the government cut the cost of living and improve governance.
The arrest was made as a result of the “flagrant disregard” of the court process served on the organisers of the demonstration, Democracy Hub, which sought to prevent them from embarking on a planned protest within the vicinity of the Jubilee House from Thursday, September 21 to Saturday, September 23, 2023.
In a statement, Supt. Juliana Obeng said all the 49 suspects had been detained in police custody assisting in the investigation.
The #FixtheCountry convenor, Oliver Barker Vormawor, who earlier released a video of the demonstrators on social media, is among those arrested, according to information obtained by DAILY GUIDE.
“We would like to state that the police do not take delight in preventing any group from demonstrating as the Service has a track record of providing security for demonstrations in the past.
“The exception, in this case, is the police disagreement with the organisers on the venue, the Jubilee House, being a security zone,” the statement added.
The police reiterated their position that, in the interests of public order and safety, the general public should refuse any call by the organisers to participate in any unlawful demonstration until the matter is resolved by the court on September 26, 2023.
The police obtained a court injunction prohibiting the protest, but the protestors ignored the injunction and attempted to march to the Jubilee House.
The protest organisers stated that they never got any court notice of the injunction order, so they gathered for the demonstration, asserting that the government was not doing enough to lessen the economic suffering of Ghanaians.
Meanwhile, Prince Ganaku, a lawyer representing the demonstrators, expressed his intention to release his clients from police custody.
“I want to send out a message to all lawyers who are interested in defending the rule of law. Ghana Bar Association, all lawyer groups, and every lawyer should know that what is going on is wrong.
“You should have an ethical and moral obligation to speak in a situation like this. We are in a democratic dispensation. We shouldn’t be seeing things like this. I want to send a clarion call to all lawyers to show up here to defend the rule of law,” Ganaku intimated.
According to him, the arrest and detention of the protesters is unconstitutional, saying, “We are going to work around the clock to get them out. These people are fighting for you [police]. You are shooting yourselves in the foot.”
By Ernest Kofi Adu