The National Youth Organizer of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Salam Mustapha, has characterized protesters who registered their distaste against illegal mining and its ravages on the environment as hooligans.
In a statement issued on September 26, 2024, he accused the members of the Democracy Hub of engaging in various acts of vandalism, destruction of property, unlawful assembly, and assault on public officers and asserted that they must not go unpunished.
“We firmly believe that individuals who take the law into their own hands and commit such criminal acts under the guise of a demonstration must be held accountable and face the full rigours of the law in our courts. Law and order are fundamental to the peace and security of our nation, and those who violate these principles should not be exempt from justice.”
It therefore threw its support behind the Ghana Police Service to prosecute the over 50 protestors arrested and charged. He also urged the public to condemn the “unruly behaviour” of the protesters.
It continued, “While we recognise and support the rights of all citizens to engage in peaceful and lawful demonstrations as enshrined in our constitution; however, it is important to emphasize that acts of vandalism, destruction of property, and other unlawful actions must be unequivocally condemned without fear of political, religious, or ethnic repercussions for speaking out against such acts.
“The Youth Wing of the NPP wishes to emphasize that the non-prosecution of these miscreants who caused ample public discomfort will serve as a motivation for more serious acts to come in the future, as it will develop a culture of impunity. We, therefore, throw our full weight behind the police and also urge all well-meaning Ghanaians to also do so.”
Forty-two protesters who joined the demonstration against illegal mining which started on September 21 and ended on September 23, were arrested by the police on the second day. In all, over 50 were arrested during and after the protest.
According to a statement by the police, the demonstrators unlawfully assembled at the 37 Intersection and attacked Police officers performing their lawful duties.
It said they entered a Police vehicle, removed the ignition key and threw it away, pushing down Police crash barriers, “obstructing traffic, causing unlawful damage, and disturbing the peace among others”.
Thirty-nine of them were remanded into prison and police custody in Accra after they were arraigned on September 24. The court remanded 28 of them into Police custody and the remaining 11 into Prison custody.
While 30 of the accused persons are to reappear before the court on October 8, 2024, nine others are to appear before the court on October 11, 2024.
On September 25, 11 more were arraigned and remanded by court.
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has issued a statement calling for the immediate release and discontinuation of the prosecution process, accusing the police of infringing on the human rights of the protesters.
Source:opemsuo.com