The organizers of the ‘Dumsor’ vigil have denounced the Ghana Police Service for acting in bad faith by deciding to request an injunction against their scheduled gathering.
The police and event organizers had preliminary conversations, but they have now filed a petition at the High Court to stop the event.
One of the main organizers, Selorm Dramani, claimed in an interview with JoyNews that the police’s actions amounted to an attempt to restrict their constitutional right to demonstrate.
According to Mr. Dramani, protesters must notify the police in advance of such activities so that a cooperative strategy may be implemented to guarantee a peaceful assembly.
He clarified that although the vigil’s organizers were willing to change the event’s schedule, they were adamant about keeping Revolution Square as the site because of its historical significance and its proximity to the capital.
“We refused to back down and informed the police that we would take no action over the location. The location would not be altered since doing so would compromise the fundamental ideas of the vigil. Because of its historical significance and close proximity to the president or the seat of government, we selected Revolution Square. Therefore, we informed the police and made it plain that moving our event to Independence Square is not even the police’s idea.
He rejected the police claim that Revolution Square, where the protest is scheduled to take place, is a security area.
Mr. Dramani drew attention to the police affidavit that was filed with the court, which made no mention of the area being a security zone.
He noted that if the Revolution Square was indeed a security zone, the police should be capable of effectively managing protesters within the vicinity of such installations.
“If the police keep making these flimsy claims that terrorist attacks are the reason the sub-region is in disarray, protests and demonstrations are effectively taking place even in the terrorist-afflicted countries.
“The president should acknowledge if there is a sense of panic surrounding their inept handling of the energy industry, which is causing this disastrous impact of dumsor. He said, “They shouldn’t be coiling our right to demonstrate by using the police as their strong arm.
