Report by Edward FRIMPONG
A group calling itself Arise Ghana has notified the Ghana Police of its intention to hold a demonstration in Accra for two continuous days and for its members to also picket in front of the Jubilee House during the night.
The Police invited the organisers to a meeting to discuss the demonstration.Following a series of meetings, Arise Ghana informed the Police in a letter dated June 8, 2022, that instead of two continuous days, the demonstration will start on the first day 3pm and end at 10pm respectively and resume the next day.
The Police in a letter dated June 13, 2022, responded and urged that in order to adequately ensure the safety of demonstrations and other members of the public, the demonstration should not travel into the night.
In the interest of public order and safety, the police entreated the organisers to reconsider their time frame and start the demonstration early in the day and end before night falls.
On June 22, 2022, the police received a verbal response from the organisers to the effect that they are unable to change the time of the demonstration.
Due to the lack of agreement between the police and the organisers on the time for the demonstration and location for their planned picketing, the police have had no option but to submit the process to the court for a determination.
This was duly communicated to Arise Ghana in a letter on June 22, 2022.The case has since been filed at the court and the hearing is scheduled for tomorrow Monday, June 27, 2022.
The Chief Superintendent of Police Directorate Public Affairs Madam Grace Ansah Akrofi who appended her signature on the statement letter assured the organisers in particular and the public in general of their readiness to provide security for the demonstration once the matters are determined by the court.
