Liberia News: ‘Not Bullets, Not Batons’

Monrovia-The stakes are getting high by the day amid heightened preparations for the much-publicized July 17 popular People’s Protest being organized by the Liberian masses through Solidarity Trust for a New Day (STAND), an advocacy social justice organization.

Almost two months to the holding of the protest, which many dubbed as replica of the famous June 7 Protest during the regime of former President George Weah, the government through its security forces appears to signaling how it may to approach the event as it had done with past protests police used an excessively lethal force to dispel.

A situation that occurred around the premises of STAND last Saturday drew attention, according to the organization, and shed clear light on plans by the government to deal with the protest as decisively as possible.

In light of what appears as Government’s relentless maneuvering to trumpet its readiness to decisively deal with any form of protest, STAND has warned it would not be deterred by the deployment of scare tactics as in the case of Saturday occurrence when armed police officers were seen around the organization’s Congo Town premises ahead of a meeting with a group of women.

Mulbah Morlu, head of STAND, rebuking the police action on Saturday gave a vivid picture of the occurrence, stating that the “gallant women in attendance were not cowered into trepidation by what he called “Police Threats.”

Directly opposite STAND headquarters, a police pickup of armed PSU officers stopped across the road and remained there for good number of minutes, and the disembarked officers took position, he said in a social media video post.

“Today’s powerful WE THE PEOPLE Women’s Meeting showcased the fearless spirit of our brave mothers and sisters,” Morlu wrote, and further explained what transpired.

“Boakai’s armed forces, misled by false intelligence, stormed STAND’s HQ to disrupt the current meeting, our women were boldly strategizing elsewhere—preparing to launch the July 17th community mobilization,” he further disclosed.

Morlu cautioned the government to stop wasting taxpayers’ money chasing shadows because “We’re mobilizing in broad daylight, openly, boldly & and the Police and NSA are welcome to come watch.”

According to him, the planned July 17 Protest is the people’s cause, an unstoppable revolution, and it is not about bullets or batons.

Morlu said regardless of the scare tactics being deployed by the police and other state security actors, Liberians will rise united, fearless, and prepared for what he termed “martyrdom.”

Wilson