ANOTHER PROTEST LOADING

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Monday – October 8, 2025: The Solidarity & Trust for a New Day (STAND) has announced that it has formally notified the Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Justice, of its nationwide peaceful protest planned for December 17, 2025. The protest will be held under the rallying cry: “Lead or Leave – Enough Is Enough.”

In a release issued Tuesday, STAND says the action is a followup to the historic July 17, 2025 protest, when thousands of Liberians peacefully petitioned the government for justice, accountability, and reform only to be ignored, mocked, and dismissed.

In an official communication to the Ministry of Justice, STAND reiterated that the people’s demands remain clear and just, including respect for the rule of law and protection of human rights, action against corruption, impunity, and selective justice, economic stabilization, price control, and improved healthcare, an end to gender-based violence and the selective prosecution of rape cases, decisive fight against drug proliferation and abuse; and adoption of meaningful reforms to lift millions of Liberians out of poverty and despair.

“Since that day, the government’s silence and inaction have only deepened public despair and widened the divide between the governed and those who govern,” the release read, adding “As the cost of living continues to soar and national hardship worsens, the patience of the Liberian people has been stretched to its breaking point.”

According to STAND, the December 17 “Lead or Leave—Enough is Enough” protest has become even more urgent and energized by the 2024 U.S. Department of State Human Rights Report on Liberia.

The Report released sometimes ago documented egregious police abuses, including extrajudicial killings, torture, corruption, and arbitrary detentions.

“Equally alarming is the entrenched impunity and selective justice now defining Liberia’s legal system,” STAND said.

“Rape and drug cases are selectively prosecuted based on political connections evident in Minister Bryant McGill’s evasion of prosecution, defended by an Inspector General of Police who shields him rather than upholds the law, and George Kailondo, whose business faces serious drug trafficking allegations yet remains untouched, likely due to government connections,” STAND stated in the release.

According to STAND, these disturbing realities mock Liberia’s ‘End Rape’ and ‘No to Drugs’ campaigns, undermine the rule of law, and sustain a culture where the powerful remain above accountability.

STAND indicated that the massive people-based protest will take place simultaneously across all counties, with the main assembly set for the public grounds between the Executive Mansion and the Capitol Building, where demands will be made directly to the President.

It emphasized that peacefully assembling before the Executive Mansion is a constitutionally protected and non-negotiable right, cautioning that, “Unlike July 17, when police barricaded the area, the people will not accept any attempt to deny them access to their own grounds.”

It also called on the national security apparatus to uphold professionalism and respect citizens’ rights, the coalition warned:

The statement said: “Our movement remains peaceful, disciplined, and law-abiding—but let it be clearly understood: the Liberian people will not retreat, will not be silenced, and will not bow to threats or intimidation.”

The statement also quoted STAND as saying it will remain peaceful but fearless and uncompromising, adding that if the government attempt to resurrect the brutal tactics once used against the anti-BEA Mountain protesters that led to the notorious Kinjor massacre, they we will die standing “never on our knees in cowardice.”

Meanwhile, Solidarity & Trust for a New Day (STAND) and the We the People Movement have formally written the Liberian government of plans to hold a nationwide nonviolent protest on December 17, 2025.

The protest, dubbed “Lead or Leave – Enough is Enough,” aims to pressure the government to address issues such as corruption, human rights abuses, and economic hardship.

The groups cited the government’s response to their July 17, 2025, protest as a reason for the new action, claiming that despite their peaceful demonstration, the government has failed to address their demands, leading to increased hardship and despair among the population.

The December 17 protest will take place across all counties, with a main assembly on the grounds between the Capitol Building and the Executive Mansion. The organizers have reaffirmed their commitment to nonviolence and have called on the security forces to act with professionalism and restraint.

“The leadership of Solidarity & Trust for a New Day (STAND), WE THE PEOPLE Movement, and all collaborating institutions extend sincere compliments and write to recall to the attention of the Government of Liberia through your office the historic and peacefully conducted July 17, 2025 nonviolent protest in Monrovia,” the statement said.

According to STAND, the convergence, grounded firmly in Article 17 of the Constitution of the Republic of Liberia, was a lawful and disciplined expression of the people’s sovereign right to assemble and petition their government.

It added “It was a civic exercise conducted with dignity, restraint, and order—an extraordinary demonstration of the Liberian people’s maturity and commitment to peace and democracy.”

It expressed regrets that instead of embracing the patriotic call for reform and good governance, President Joseph Boakai chose to “mock, demean, and dismiss the legitimate voices of thousands of peaceful citizens whose only demand was that their government uphold justice, accountability, and the rule of law.”

The letter further read that “Since that day, the government’s silence and inaction have only deepened the people’s despair and widened the gulf between the governed and those who govern. As the cost-of-living soars and national hardship intensifies, the patience of the people has been stretched to its breaking point.”

STAND’s letter also took note of “alarming is the entrenched impunity and selective justice now defining Liberia’s legal system.”

It accused the government of cherry-picking rape and drug cases based on political connections, citing Minister Bryant McGill’s evasion of prosecution and others.

“These shameful realities mock Liberia’s ‘End Rape’ and ‘No to Drugs’ campaigns, undermine the rule of law, and entrench a culture where the powerful remain above accountability. Lead or Leave—Enough is Enough,” STAND stated in its letter.

It assured the Justice Ministry that the nationwide peaceful action will occur simultaneously across all counties, with the principal assembly taking place on the public grounds between the Capitol Building and the Executive Mansion, where a new petition will be formally delivered to the President of the Republic.

“This location is constitutionally protected, historically utilized for civic engagement, and therefore non-negotiable. The grounds of the people’s house are, by right and tradition, open to the people themselves and must never be closed,” the statement read further.

STAND argued that the right of citizens to freely assemble, express themselves, and petition their leaders is inalienable, guaranteed not only under the Constitution of Liberia but also under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and other international covenants to which Liberia is bound.

It added “Any attempt to obstruct or suppress this right would represent a direct assault on democracy itself.”

It said it remains unwaveringly committed to nonviolence, as we demonstrated on July 17.

“Nevertheless, we must be clear that the duration and intensity of the December 17 action will depend entirely on the government’s response,” STAND stated in its letter.

Flashback: ‘Enough Is Enough protest staged by STAND in Monrovia

“Should the President heed the people’s voice and address their legitimate demands, the protest will end in triumph for democracy. But should he once again choose contempt and silence, the protest will continue peacefully but resolutely until every lawful demand is met,” the statement said.

It calls on the Liberia National Police and the entire joint security apparatus to act with professionalism and constitutional restraint, stressing “We expect an end to the brutality, intimidation, and fear tactics witnessed before and during the July 17 protest.”

STAND also reassures international partners including the United States Embassy, the European Union, the United Nations, and ECOWAS that “our cause remains grounded in peace, law, and the enduring pursuit of justice.”

It pledged to fulfill its duty to defend democracy with dignity and discipline, while urging the government to avoid any measure that could incite instability, lawlessness, or undermine its own moral and political legitimacy.