-July 6 Demo Is On!
The Youth Wing of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has won over the completely confused Ghana Police Service (GPS) which has been illegally denying citizens their rights to protest against social injustices.
After a meeting between the NDC and the GPS, the Police crumbled under pressure and backed down from their initial refusal to allow the NDC to stage the protest.
The National Youth Organiser of the main opposition party, George Opare Addo, has accused the Police of sleeping on its core duty saying, saying the Police’s initial excuse that it cannot offer protection because of an Executive Instrument forbidding public gatherings was bogus.
“In recent times, the Ghana Police Service has slept on its core responsibilities to the general citizenry of our beloved country in such wanton disregard to its duty. The Ghana Police Service has metamorphosed into an agency of politics being used by the government for its partisan bidding,” he said.
He also pointed out that there is no curfew in the Greater Accra Region where the party has scheduled the demonstration.
The party’s youth wing has since also released a press statement assuring patrons the demonstration has not been called off.
On July 1, 2021, the Greater Accra Regional Police Command had served notice it is unable to shepherd the July 6 protest after the NDC wrote for protection in accordance with the Public Order Act.
The NDC youth wing has christened the protest, “A March for Justice” which was to “demand justice for all persons killed and brutalized by state-sponsored thuggery and/or adventurism by police and military forces.”
Some pressure groups are already backing the NDC’s protests. The latest is a group called Anchoring Democracy Advocacy Movement-Ghana (ADAMS-GH).
The group slammed the Akufo Addo administration for its tyranny for preventing civil protests.
The group described the Akufo Addo administration as an “intolerant, covetous and autocratic government with a dishonest character.” warning that the country has steadily retrogressed.
Meanwhile, a demonstration by NDC will now give impetus to the youth movement #FixTheCountry which the GPS has refused to allow them to protests since May 9, 2021. The Police and the Attorney General have gone to court seeking to criminalize citizen’s right to demonstrate but had failed miserably.