THE once calm East Berbice, Corentyne area was filled with tension and rage as protest erupted in several communities on Friday.
Supporters of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) took to the streets in Black Bush Polder, Number 19 village, Tain and Canje, as they accused the David Granger-led Coalition of “rigging the elections”.
The protest started in the morning session in Lesbeholden, Black Bush Polder and by noon the protesters converged at Tain where they had a standoff with police ranks who were trying to maintain peace and order.
During the demonstration, several of the protestors blocked the road and refused to budge. After several warnings, they began throwing water on the police officers who continued to warn them. As the situation escalated, one of the protesters was behaving disorderly and an officer struck him with baton and dealt him some blows which caused injuries to the head.
As the police arrested the man and placed him in the vehicle, the crowd tried to reason with the police to release him, and as the police vehicle was about to drive off, the protester began hurling bricks and other objects at the officer.
The man attempted to escape but collapsed and had to be rushed to the Port Mourant Hospital.
The back windshield of the pickup was shattered as ranks jumped out of the vehicle to avoid shards of glass piercing them. Senior ranks on the scene managed to control the situation for a little while until the protestors started to burn tires later in the afternoon, bringing traffic to a standstill.
As attempts were made to arrest some persons, the crowd continued to throw objects which led to several warning shots being fired in the air in an effort to disperse the crowd. It was until teargas was used the police was able to gain some control.
Not letting up, the protestors threw the teargas canisters back at the police and started to hurl missiles in their direction. Eventually, the police, after realising the crowd was not responding, decided to use more teargas followed by riot procedures to force the protesters off the streets and into their homes. A number of persons, including children, were affected by the dispersion of the gas. Warning shots were also fired in the air.
The road was finally clear by 18:00hrs with the police maintaining a strong presence to prevent the protestors from gathering.
Speaking with this publication, Divisional Commander, Calvin Brutus, confirmed that four ranks had to be treated for injuries received.
Brutus said he has nothing against peaceful protest but the hostility and endangerment of the lives of his ranks would not be encouraged or tolerated.
Meanwhile, as word spread of the protest action, business owners hurriedly closed their doors and sent home their staff. By mid-afternoon, all the stores, including the banks, were closed in Rose Hall Town, leaving the commercial hub looking like a ghost town.
PPP/C regional representatives who were present at Tain tried to maintain control of the crowd and get them to disband peacefully. Zamal Hussain explained that he was disappointed by the actions of the police and felt they could have used less force to get the crowd to disperse.
The tension in the region, including Region Five, has left several officers suffering from chop wounds, sprained ankles, and injuries from bricks, among others.
Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_e-paper_3-7-2020