General News of Friday, 16 July 2021
Source: 3news.com
Organisers of the social media movement #FixTheCountry are already soliciting ideas from interested Ghanaians as to how to organise demonstrations outside the country’s capital city, Accra.
The call was made in concluding a statement issued on Thursday, July 15 to announce the routes of the Wednesday, August 4 demonstration.
The campaigners had served notice of staging regional and nationwide protests after agreeing with the Inspector General of Police, James Oppong-Boanuh, on Monday, July 5 for the Founders’ Day protest in Accra.
The statement on Thursday said the organisers have finalised the route with the Ghana Police Service.
“We wish to inform the general public that in accordance with the Public Order Act, the Ghana Police Service will be assisting the protest by directing the routes of the event to prevent obstruction of pedestrians or vehicular traffic.”
The march is planned to start from the Obra Spot at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Interchange at 6:30am and end at the Black Star Square, where the protesters will be addressed.
“We expect and advise all attendees to observe the necessary public health measures and all other announcements.”
The demonstration will be held after a protracted legal tussle between the campaigners and the police.
The Accra Regional Command had secured a restraining order from an Accra High Court to stop an initial May 9 demonstration by the #FixTheCountry activists with the pretext that the country’s Covid-19 situation may escalate.
The campaigners, therefore, took the protest online.
On Friday, June 25, the Accra High Court quashed the restraining order but ordered the demonstrators to follow the laid-down procedure in staging a street protest.