“Arise Ghana”: Police ask organisers to change “demo” time over security concerns

The Police high command officially informed organizers of the “Arise Ghana” demonstration, to review their proposed timelines for their two-day demonstration in the Greater Accra Region, it has emerged.

In a letter dated the 8 June 2022, signed by Bernard Mornah, a leading member of “Arise Ghana” and addressed to the director of operations, Ghana Police Service, organizers of the demonstration fixed for Tuesday 28 to Wednesday 29 June 2022, informed the Police as follows;

“Day 1: We shall converge at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Interchange/Obra Spot between the hours of 12pm – 3pm”.

“We shall move from the converging point after 3PM, through Nima police station road to the Arko Adjei Interchange and finally to the frontage of Jubilee House and picket there till 10PM”.

The letter of the organizers further noted: “Day 2: We shall converge at El-Wak stadium between the hours of 10am to 12pm and move to the Ministry of Finance through the Lands Commission office road through to Christ the King traffic light and the Liberation road”.

“From there we shall move thorough Ministries to the frontage of Parliament House and present a petition to the Speaker of Parliament”.

Security concerns

However, the Police, in a reply to the notice of “Arise Ghana”, dated 13 June 2022, signed by the Director/Operations, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Henry Otoo, and addressed to Comrade Bernard Mornah, observed that the proposed time for the commencement of day one of the demonstration (3pm) and the end time (10pm), will pose security challenges to the service and same must be changed by the organizers.

“From the security perspective, we are of the view that, allowing the activities of your demonstration to go into the night, where we will be under the mercy of the cover of darkness could have serious security implications in the light of the national security alert on possible terrorist threats” the Police letter stated.

“We therefore wish to urge you to start a lot earlier than 3pm so that you can end before night falls. This way the police will be better able to provide adequate security and ensure the safety and security of all demonstrators as well as the general public” the Police further stated in their letter to the “Arise Ghana” organizers.

Motivation for demonstration

Organizers of the Arise Ghana demonstration have said that the motivation for their planned demonstration are among others, the persistent and astronomical hikes in fuel prices by government.

Government has however explained that the increases are not exclusive to Ghana, as it is a global phenomenon influenced by the geo-political challenges as a result of the Russia invasion of Ukraine.

The organizers of “Arise Ghana” say the rising level of fuel prices has imposed excruciating economic hardships on Ghanaians.

They also say they are protesting against the imposition of the obnoxious E-Levy on the already-burdened Ghanaian people by government, to demand full scale and bi-partisan parliamentary probe into COVID-19 expenditures, as well as what they say is the grabbing of State lands by officials of government, particularly the de-classification of huge portions of the Achimota Forest Reserve, among other issues.