The Ghana Police Service has secured a court order to stop a planned #FixTheCountry protest slated for Saturday, June 4, 2022.
The injunction was granted by the Criminal Court 4 of the Accra High Court following an application on notice by the police.
Though organisers of the #FixTheCountry Movement, represented by Benjamin Darko, were served with court documents, neither they nor their lawyers were present in court.
The police, however, assured the public that there would be no impediment in the exercise of their rights as long as it was within the ambit of the law.
A letter of notification to the police, available to The Ghana Report, detailed how the group planned to acquire arms for the three-day activity expected to culminate with a live address on the channels of the Ghana Broadcast Corporation (GBC).
On these grounds, the police declined the request since it failed to meet the standard protocols established under the Public Order Act.
Media personalities Blessed Godsbrain Smart (Captain Smart) and Okatakyie Afrifa Mensah; lawyer and Convener of the #FixTheCountry Movement, Oliver Barker-Vormawor; and Benjamin Darko; were named in the letter as the organisers of the demonstration.
However, Captain Smart condemned the decision to arm protestors and contract a private company to provide security during the event and distanced himself from the letter.
Captain Smart found the content of the letter unacceptable and called for the arrest of the originator in an interview to clarify the development.
He suggested that the letter was put together unilaterally by Barker-Vormawor.
Following a public outburst, lead convener Oliver Barker Vormawor has since apologised and asked for forgiveness for attempting to organise an “armed demonstration” in Accra.
“You live, and you learn. The dramatic visual protest didn’t create the kind of impact we hoped for. I was hoping that our democracy will be visually confronted with the urgency of getting accountability for violence.
“The police took advantage of, embellished it, and led the PR on this. That’s fine too. I hope our missteps are forgiven when they happen. And we take the moment to learn and grow from them. I’ve never done anything that wasn’t driven by love for the humanity of our citizens. I take the fall for this one. It’s on me,” Barker-Vormawor wrote on his Facebook page on Wednesday, June 1, 2022.
Why the protestors chose June 4
Per their letter, June 4 marks a significant turning point in Ghana’s political history where a military government was overthrown to prepare the country for the return to democratic governance.
According to them, it is a date significant for emphasising the values of ethical and political leadership and for demanding probity and accountability at a time when such values had dimmed in Ghanaian political life.
It was the considered view of the group that the scheduled date for the above historical reasons was vital, and thus the demonstration to express their concerns.
