Arresting leaders of demo right now will heighten tension, don’t do it – Antwi-Danso tells Police

The Dean of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC), Professor Vladimir Antwi-Danso, has said any move to arrest the leaders of the Arise Ghana pressure group due to the violence that characterized Day 1 of the demonstration on Tuesday June 28, will rather heighten tension in the system.

He said the Police should not make any arrest right now.

“In managing the conflict or crises, you will make sure that you don’t exacerbate the situation by some actions. In most places, when you are having such a situation, you have intelligence sources on the ground. Make sure that you set the red line and when they cross the red line you can arrest them. But I strongly suspect that today, right now, this morning, if they arrest the leadership right away it would have created the condition for disturbances so they shouldn’t, they should engage them. Policing is about engagement of the people to understand law abiding so I wont recommend their arrest,” Prof Antwi-Danso said on the New Day show with Berla Mundi on TV3 Wednesday June 29.

The Ghana Police Service has served notice all organisers of Tuesday’s demonstration by Arise Ghana will be arrested and arraigned before court.

The police say they are taking that action as a result of the attacks and damage caused to public property.

The action, according to the law-enforcement agency, is in line with provisions of Section 3 of the Public Order Act, Act 491.

Tuesday’s demonstration dubbed #KromAy3Hye demo ended abruptly after police restrained the demonstrators from pouring onto Ring Road Central to March towards the Jubilee House.

Stones were pelted at the police, from persons accused by organisers as “agent provocateurs” planted within them by the same police, and tear gas were fired, that certainly from the police.

So far, 29 persons have been arrested.

“Available video footages of the event are being reviewed and all other persons identified for taking part in the attacks as well as inciting the violence will be arrested and brought to face justice,” the police said in a press release on Tuesday, June 28.

It observed that there is a “calculated falsehood” and “misinformation” being peddled by the leaders of the demonstration.

“We urge the public to disregard the untruths and treat them with the contempt they deserve, for the footages and images of the event speak for themselves.”

Source: 3news.com|Ghana