Police prevent demonstrators from accessing Parliament, National Cathedral grounds
Police prevent demonstrators from accessing Parliament, National Cathedral grounds
Officers from the Ghana Police Service have prevented a group of demonstrators from entering Parliament and the National Cathedral construction grounds.
It is unclear why the police prevented the protestors from accessing the place.
At about 10:00 am, the group started picketing at the forecourt of Parliament calling for the termination of the construction of the controversial National Cathedral.
The group comprising members of Justice for Ghana, Arise Ghana, and some traditional leaders later moved to the cathedral construction grounds but were met by armed policemen.
After a short interaction between leaders of the demonstrators and the police, one of the leaders, Bernard Mornah, announced that “The police have decided not to allow us entry. This was not the agreement. We told them in our negotiations that we will be coming there and they agreed. So I don’t know why they have now turned back on their words.”
Police prevent demonstrators from accessing Parliament, National Cathedral grounds
On what specific explanation the police have given them, Bernard Mornah said “They are not giving us any exact reason. They are just saying they can’t allow us. But as you can see, they keep receiving directives on the phone. As to who is giving them the order, we do not know.”
The group vows not to back down until they are finally allowed entry to the place.
“We are law-abiding citizens so we are going back to picket at parliament and return later to this place,” he said.
Meanwhile, after getting to Parliament, the group was also prevented from entering the premises.
Police prevent demonstrators from accessing Parliament, National Cathedral grounds
The entrance to Parliament is currently under lock, as a group of Formed Police Units (FPU) officers dressed in battle gear and shields formed a human barricade in front of the locked gate.
The police have since declined to talk to the media.
The group continue to wait at the gates, hoping to present their petition to the leadership of Parliament.
Some of the inscriptions on their banners read: “Return Cathedral Cash, Prime State Land Wasted, Don’t Touch Pensions Fund, Say No to IMF-Haircut,” among others.
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Source: James Kwesi Avedzi
