WHITE TUESDAY, THE protest organized by the “Concerned Citizens for the Protection of our Constitution, Democracy and Rule of Law” and endorsed by several groups, including the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) Foot Soldiers and the Concerned Liberians Network Incorporated based in the United States, turned out to be short-lived and bloody, with officers of the Liberia National Police (LNP) using excess force: firing teargas and live bullets, and using batons to beat on individuals claimed to be disgruntled, leaving several individuals wounded and incarcerated.
THE PROTEST TURNED short-lived when officers of the Liberia National Police (LNP) and the protestors engaged in a face-off, with the LNP using teargas to disperse the crowd. Resisting protestors were beaten mercilessly with batons, dragged to the LNP headquarters and incarcerated. Several individuals became victims of the police’s brutality, with Kalasco being one of those hand-cuffed and sent to prison.
SPEAKING DURING THE protest, Montserrado County’s district #10 Representative, Yekeh Kolubah, said Liberians exercising their democratic right to assemble were met with violence, accusing President Boakai of giving the order. He accused the LNP of using teargas, batons and live bullets, which he said was unacceptable and demonstrates a dangerous disregard for the safety and freedom of Liberians.
MONTSERRADO COUNTY’S DISTRICT #9 Representative, Frank Saah Foko, has said the use of force by the Liberia National Police (LNP) sets a dangerous precedence that undermines public trust in the law enforcement agencies and threatens the foundation of the democratic society. Representative Foko said the Constitutional right to peaceful protest is an essential pillar of democracy, and no citizen should ever fear such brutal retaliation when exercising that right. “The actions taken today only serve to deepen divisions and perpetuate an atmosphere of fear rather than dialogue and resolution,” Representative Foko observed.
THE COALITION FOR Democratic Change (CDC) condemned the unwarranted and excessive use of force by state securities, including the firing of live bullets at unarmed citizens. “These citizens were not a threat; they were exercising their rights to assemble and petition their government,” the party stated.
“LIBERIA, SINCE THE formal end of the civil conflict in 2003, has never been pushed to this precipice of lawlessness and Constitutional collapse as in the last few weeks since the Supreme Court’s decision in the House of Representative’s impasse. The Executive under the instructions of Mr. Boakai is consistent in its strive to deliberately undermine the rule of law and the Liberian Constitution for the purpose of exercising dominance over the Legislative and Judiciary branches of the government. To achieve this dominance, Mr. Boakai is prepared to move Liberia back to the dark era of autocracy, sacrificing the blood of innocent and peaceful Liberians toward this diabolical end,” the CDC said.
HOWEVER, THE GOVERNMENT of Liberia (GOL) has claimed that no live bullets were fired during the protest as is being reported. “As far as the government is aware and based on briefings from the Joint Security, law enforcement forces employed only non-lethal force to disperse protesters who were blocking the free flow of vehicular traffic and movements, not heeding police instructions, on the Capitol By-Pass main road, around the seat of the National Legislature,” the government stated.
