NDC invites #FixTheCountry protesters to join ‘March for Justice’ demo

Youth of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has extended an invitation to the #FixTheCountry movement to join their ‘march for justice’ demonstration slated for Tuesday, July 6, 2021.

This comes after the Ghana Police Service promised to give the NDC protesters protection for the scheduled demonstration. The Police had earlier declined an invitation to provide security for the protest on the basis that COVID-19 restrictions were still in force.

But the NDC insisted on embarking on the protest, rubbishing the reasons for the denial of their request. The police however rescinded their earlier decision after a crunch meeting between the two parties.

Speaking in an interview, the National Youth Organiser of NDC, George Opare Addo, stated that it will grant its platform to the #FixTheCountry movement to convey its message to the government.

He also stated that the Police need to look into giving the movement the chance to exercise their right to demonstrate.

“I have criticized clearly the decision of the government to prevent the #FixTheCountry movement from embarking on their constitutionally mandated right to demonstrate. I believe that with the Police agreeing that they will be around to provide us security, it is time that they also look at the issues pertaining to the fix the country movement.”

“But I am asking everybody, especially members of the Fix The Country movement to join hands with the NDC. We are fighting for almost the same thing. I will speak with their leadership and tell them where they can align with our views and opinions so that they come and then whatever they want to do they can use our platform to convey their message,” he added.

But the convener for the #FixTheCountry movement, Olivia Batsa, stated that although he was happy that the NDC has been allowed to demonstrate, it did not mean that they align with their cause and if they had to join the march, it will have to be a conversation the whole movement will need to have.

He also questioned the decision of the Police to grant the NDC Youth the security and permission to demonstrate while theirs was not granted.

“One of the things we need to be mindful of is that #FixTheCountry is not a group or entity. When individuals speak, they speak on their own mandate, so I cannot speak for the collective but I think we need to discuss the role of all political actors, including the government and the NDC as well, as to their engagement in the mess we find ourselves in.”

“Now if they are coming forth honestly and acknowledging their role in the mess, that’s fine but if they shift blame, then I don’t think that it aligns with the questions we are asking because we have said that the problems have been with the successive governments and that puts the NDC squarely in what we think is wrong with how this country has been run for some years. So just because they have been granted the chance to protest and ours was denied doesn’t mean our interests necessarily align,”  he added.

Purpose of protest 

The NDC Youth had notified the Police that it will organize a street protest dubbed a March for Justice on Tuesday, July 6, 2021, to demand justice for all persons killed or brutalized by the various security agencies in the country. This was fueled by the latest incident at Ejura where a social activist was killed, sparking a protest by the youth of the area and the subsequent killing of two of the youth protestors by security men at the scene.

By: Stella Annan | myactiveonline.com Twitter @activetvgh

Author