- author, Comla Adom
- Role, Reporting from Accra, Ghana
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Protesters hit the streets again Friday in Ghana a day after police arrested demonstrators and then brutalized some Democrats on Thursday.
They protested by calling for #OccupyGollerbiHouse and highlighting the issues of misgovernance, corruption, insecurity and economic mismanagement.
Lobbyists are coming together to form one movement called the Center for Democracy to push to make cans better for citizens.
The Democrats’ plan says they should hold a 3-day protest for Goment’s seat.
Armed police arrested at least fifty protesters on Thursday and detained them for an entire day.
Some members of the Bureau assaulted a number of demonstrators, including three journalists.
One of them is a TV news anchor.
Bridget Otto is standing at the front gate with the policeman, Oda Bibo, and she comes and drags me inside.
“I just stood in the officer buses and he saw we were all starting to grab me and pulled me inside,” Bridget Tuck told BBC Pidgin.
I’m adding the saying, and I realize that I’m saying afta dem pay pay I’m, I’m getting dressed.
I am one good samaritan who does not give me a scarf and takes a covering from my body.
“They tore my dress, I have never done that to the police before. We just stand here and ask why they detain protesters for long hours.”
Bridget Tuck also says police assaulted a female reporter.
“As for the reporter, look at her saying she is filming the police assault inside the station while I go inside.”
I add that I say “dem seize di reporter im phone afta dem hit am.”
BBC Pidgin’s witness also says the police arrested some innocent bystanders who were not part of the protesters.
“The police are not turning into illegal bebos,” social activist Bernard Mornah told reporters outside the police station.
A protester holds a sign as Marka police demonstrate on Friday
Afta says they hold more than fifty detained Bibos all day, and lawyers cannot guarantee their release.
One of them is Prince Janako’s duo.
I’m saying that as of 10:00pm on Thursday, they had secured the release of fifty-six people by arresting and detaining them all day.
Prince added: “We are doing our best to make sure that everyone is released, and that the police are not asking for any complicated guarantee.”
I’m just saying as far as the police are concerned, you won’t get ‘any case against Di Bepo Dem’s arrest’.
Wetin Day event today
As for the movement, as far as they are concerned, they continue to protest.
“We will not allow any form of intimidation to stop our action,” organizers said at a late-night press conference.
Heavy police are already in the DD area where the DB group expects to say they are going to rally.
At least five police vans and one bus are on standby with more than three dozen individuals waiting for the protesters.
Police position on protest
Police say the crime of arresting protesters on Thursday is an illegal gathering and defiance of a police order.
Di Service Tok says that dia “applying the injunction means telling organizers not to go ahead with the march.”
In fact, they say the protesters are “walking in contempt of court” They say they will still continue to protest until they are arrested.
But Democracy Center members say police show “bad faith in the way they filed a last-minute court application” after being notified of the service one month before the protest.
Diem also insists on saying that the police say they are serving them with a judicial notice which Toure is fake.
Article 21 of the Constitution de Contre guarantees Di Bepo’s freedom to demonstrate and assemble.
We must also say that the Public Order Act obliges them to notify the police no less than five days from the date of a demonstration of any kind.
“Unless the court rules on the injunction application by the police against Di Bebo protesting, nothing will stop us from demonstrating,” explained Isaac Yeboah, one of the group’s leaders.
Some celebrities did jump on the hashtag #OccupyJulorbiHouse to condemn how police dealt with protesters on Thursday.
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