Police clash with Arise Ghana protesters
Police grants bail to 29 protesters
Sammy Gyamfi says organizers cannot be blamed for clash
Political think tank, the Danquah Institute (DI) has condemned the violence and destruction of property during the Arise Ghana demonstration on June 28.
According to the institute, the clash between the Ghana Police Service and the protesters are “barbaric, unlawful and un-Ghanaian behavior.”
In a statement dated June 30, DI accused demonstrators of having pre-meditated plans to create chaos and destabilize the peace the country was enjoying.
It cited as evidence, the insistence of the group not to obey a court order directing the route they should use during the protest.
“It was clear that the demonstrators had no intention of complying with the Public Order Act or the Court Order for that matter, by their insistence on using an unapproved route leading to the Jubilee House.
“It is also deeply unfortunate that some of the demonstrators started throwing stones and other offensive weapons at the Police for no reason, leading to injuries of Police Officers and destruction of public property including Police vehicles.
“The Institute believes that well-meaning Ghanaians who are simply embarking on a peaceful demonstration would not have come armed with offensive weapons, stones and rioting devices, if not pre-meditated by a motive to create violence and destruction,” part of the statement read.
Danquah Institute noted that economic hardship for which reason Arise Ghana embarked on the street protest was the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
It however said the Akufo-Addo-led government was implementing measures to address the challenges.
“It is worth noting that most of the issues communicated as the reason for the demonstration are irrevocably linked to the Covid-19 pandemic period and the Russian-Ukraine war and are globally being experienced.
“The increasing costs of fuel and utilities; high demand met with pandemic related supply shortages of consumables which has caused price hikes and increased rates of inflation is occurring all over the word.
“We are happy that measures to address economic challenges have been taken by the Government. The unprecedented economic growth of the 2017-2019 period is not to be forgotten. We believe that Government will continue to make the best decisions for the benefit of all Ghanaians,” the statement added.
Arise Ghana demonstrators poured onto the streets on the June 28, the first day of their two-day march against rising economic hardship.
However, there was chaos as police fired teargas at protesters accusing the protesters of pelting them with stones. According to multiple reportage, the chaos erupted over confusion on the route to use.
While the police insisted that the demonstrators cannot use the route towards the Jubilee House, the demonstrators attempted to force their way from Kwame Nkrumah Circle through Ring Road to Ako Adjei and to the Jubilee House.
Meanwhile, the second day of the demonstration [June 29] was incident-free and elicited commendation from the Ghana Police Service.
