Granger warns police to desist from shooting innocent people

Dec 07, 2011 News

Pull Quote: “Clearly the police over-reacted, it was a peaceful march, no one was threatened, no damage was done, no attack was made on any public buildings.”

Presidential Candidate of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Brigadier (retd)

Brigadier David Granger speaking to media operatives outside of the Brickdam Police Station

David Granger has denounced the Guyana Police Force for what he called the use of excessive brutality on innocent protestors yesterday morning.
Granger was at the time speaking to members of the media after exiting the Brickdam Police Station where Former Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force Edward Collins was being detained after being riddled about the body with rubber pellets.
Among some of the other persons also shot with rubber pellets as the police attempted to break up the demonstration was Attorney-at-law James Bond.
“Clearly the police over-reacted, it was a peaceful march, no one was threatened, no damage was done, no attack was made on any public buildings and the police just used excess force,” Granger
stressed.
Granger told media operatives that APNU is very concerned by the actions, saying that Brigadier Collins had several pellets still lodged in him along with Bond and others who were at the time still being detained by police ranks.
He insisted that there was no reason for the police ranks to use that level of force.
Granger said too that in actuality the reaction by the police subsequent to the shooting was so erratic that several persons were arrested along Eastern Highway while peacefully making their way to Congress Place.
“It’s not as though some people were arrested on the scene, some people were arrested while peacefully going back to where they came from.”
Granger said that the handling of the affair was very dissatisfactory and, “we spoke to the commander of the division…we are very unhappy with the reaction to this peaceful march.”
He reiterated that APNU is still committed to lawful protest, “we will not ever give up our protest against the Guyana Election Commission until they conduct a verification of the statements of poll.”
Granger asserted that APNU has committed to continue the protest against GECOM until it undertakes a verification of the statements of poll.
“We will always behave in a lawful manner and this (yesterday) morning we were behaving in a lawful manner and fire was opened up on our peaceful protestors.”
Speaking to the issue of permission for the march, Granger reported that it is a matter that they will have to investigate. He did say that the application for the permission to march was made and at the time he was not aware that the permission for the activity was denied.
The APNU Presidential Candidate said that at all times it was peaceful protest involving young people and without the use of noise instruments to create any disorder or lawless behaviour.
“The reaction by the police was completely uncalled for.”
He said too that APNU’s attorneys will be looking into the fact that several persons were also illegally detained.
Several vendors also had their ‘kool-down carts’ confiscated by the lawmen.
The Force in a statement reported that the group informed them that they wanted to march from yesterday, but this was in breach of the statutory 48 hours notice and no permission was granted.
The Police Force also stated that it is issuing another warning that no unlawful march, procession or meeting “will be tolerated and that it will deal firmly with any person or persons wishing to breach the peace and disobey the laws.”
Granger said that APNU will be in discussion with its partners on the way forward, but emphasised that the pressure will be maintained, “until GECOM does what it has to do…we ask the police to desist from shooting innocent people and causing injury…they are creating a crisis where none should exist.”