The Director of Communications for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah, has condemned the violent turn of the recent Democracy Hub demonstration against illegal mining (galamsey).
He stated that the protest, which sought to address environmental destruction caused by galamsey, had the backing of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the NPP, who have worked since 2017 to preserve the country’s water bodies.
However, Mr Ahiagbah in a post on X, pointed out that the demonstration was infiltrated by radical elements that led to violence, road blockages, and property destruction, shifting the focus of the protest.
He emphasized the responsibility of the police to maintain peace and order by identifying disruptive individuals, and urged the swift release of any innocent bystanders mistakenly arrested.
He also called for future demonstrations to avoid violence, noting that such actions undermine law enforcement and public order.
“Peaceful protests under H.E. Akufo-Addo and Dr. Bawumia Mahamadu were without arrests or brutalities. For instance, the September 17th demonstration by the NDC against the Electoral Commission in Accra saw zero arrests or brutalities because it was peaceful. In our quest to protect and defend the rights of protesters, we must be careful not to overlook their excesses, lest we undermine the capacity of law enforcement to secure public peace and order.”
“To reiterate, I support the right of citizens to protest, but I also support the position that “we must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence” (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) Let’s keep it peaceful to deepen democracy and avoid entanglements with the law,” he shared.
See the post below:
The right of citizens to protest in a democracy is inviolable and absolute. It’s a tool at our disposal to hold governments accountable. The Democracy Hub’s protest about the adverse impact of Galamsey on the environment enjoys the support of H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and…
— Richard Ahiagbah (@RAahiagbah) September 26, 2024
Source: Adomonline
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