We remain committed to bringing hope to the oppressed – Ernesto Yeboah

Commander-in-Chief of the Economic Fighters League, Ernesto Yeboah has assured the public of his unflinching commitment of bringing hope to the oppressed and marginalised in the society. 

His comment comes after the police dropped all charges against him for holding a vigil in honour of the late George Floyd, whose murder sparked worldwide condemnation.

Mr Yeboah, in a heartwarming message after police prosecution dropped the charges said, that despite the 10 months court proceedings and frustrations he had to endure, he remains unshaken.

“The court proceedings and our subsequent victory must be seen as an opportunity for us to better understand the failings of our system, for us to understand what must be done for us to be free, for us to bolster our confidence in our ability to be the agents of change required to save Ghana, and Africa.

“We do not bear a grudge against the police who supervised our persecution. We have nothing against them – nothing. Their role within this highly discredited system is to maintain it for the ultimate beneficiaries, the political and financial elite maintaining a veneer of order and democracy to protect the interests of the privileged,” he said in a Facebook post.

Although, the system continues to live people in disillusion, Commander Yeboah believes change is still possible.

He urged elected leaders to fulfil the prayers of the masses, in order to see a truly representative government where the interests of everyone is paramount.

Doing this, he said will bridge the gap between the rich and the poor, the oppressed and the conquerors, the minority and majority.

“The Economic Fighters League will continue to push for a system that works for all. Ghana must see Economic Democracy in our lifetime,” he added.

What happened on March 15

The leader of the Economic Fighters League, Ernesto Yeboah, was discharged by the Accra Circuit Court 10.

He was discharged of the earlier charges of breach of the public order law.

The vociferous Ernesto Yeboah was arrested and charged with breaching the public order act after he held a vigil on June 1, 2020, in honour of 46-year-old American, George Floyd, who was killed by Minnesota Police under bizarre circumstances.

Floyd’s murder sparked worldwide condemnation in which governments, including the Government of Ghana, spoke in unison against the ills of racist-induced police brutality.

In joining the global community to condemn the gruesome murder of George Floyd, Ghana’s Economic Fighters League organized a vigil at the Independence Square.

The widely publicized vigil was, however, disrupted by police on the night.

The Ghana Police Service had accused the Movement of breaching provisions of the Public Order Act which required police notification prior to such gatherings.

Even though the Movement insisted it had served the police with the required prior notification, police sources say the said notification had not reached them at the time of the vigil.

In court on Monday, March 15, 2021, however, Prosecutor, Chief Inspector, Emmanuel Haligah, told the court that the State was no longer interested in pursuing the charges.

Though reasons were not immediately assigned for the State’s sudden move after 10 months of prosecution, the court went ahead to strike out the case as prayed by the State.

Read the full post below 

Yesterday morning the court granted us freedom after the Prosecutor announced the state was withdrawing the case against us after we held a vigil in the wake of the killing of African-American, George Floyd.

While we celebrate this victory it is important not to lose sight of reality. Our event should never have been disrupted. The arrest and subsequent 10 month court proceedings should never have happened.

We are not yet free.

Our aim from day one has been to point out that ours is a broken democracy, a broken economic system that keeps a minority elite happy at the expense of the majority. This inspiration for our advocacy, was recently echoed in part by Prof. Gyimah Boadi.

The system needs to be radically overhauled.

It is our patriotic responsibility to awaken those tranquillised into inaction by the perks of the system, and to bring hope and positive energy to those oppressed into cynicism and despair.

The court proceedings and our subsequent victory must be seen as an opportunity for us to better understand the failings of our system, for us to understand what must be done for us to be free, for us to bolster our confidence in our ability to be the agents of change required to save Ghana, and Africa.

We do not bear a grudge against the police who supervised our persecution. We have nothing against them – nothing. Their role within this highly discredited system is to maintain it for the ultimate beneficiaries, the political and financial elite maintaining a veneer of order and democracy to protect the interests of the privileged. The police are oppressed too.

Ghanaians are disillusioned, but change is possible. We again ask the elected leaders of this nation to fulfil the yearnings of this generation to see a truly representative government that hears and works for the interest of the many and not the few.

The Economic Fighters League will continue to push for a system that works for all. Ghana must see Economic Democracy in our lifetime.

We thank the various Black Lives Matter chapters, and all the other humanist organisations that solidarised and those that petitioned the President for our release. We thank our Lawyers who volunteered their services to the cause. We thank you for funding the entire legal expenses of this case, for liking, commenting, sharing and tweeting our posts to keep the world informed.

We are free from the shackles of the court, yes. But the work is not done. Towards an inclusive democracy and economic system. Towards a Ghana in which all lives are valued. Towards a united Africa. Towards a world in which Black Lives Matter.