Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Grace Ansah-Akrofi, Director, Public Affairs, Ghana Police Service, says holding protests at Revolution Square can affect public order.
She said the police made that conclusion after an initial assessment of the proposed location of a planned protest by the Democratic Hub at the Square.
The ACP said the police had, therefore, engaged the organisers and requested that they considered an alternative location for the picketing.
She said, however, the organisers had refused to consider an alternative location and insisted on picketing at the Revolution Square.
“For the purposes of emphasis, we wish to state categorically that the police has not stopped Democracy Hub from embarking on the planned protest. The only disagreement is on their choice of Revolution Square, in front of the Jubilee House, as the location for the protest.”
She said that compelled the police to take the matter to the court for a determination.
The High Court, she stressed in a court order on September 18, 2024, granted an order to prohibit Democracy Hub from embarking on the demonstration at the Revolution Square.
The Director said the Police throughout its engagement with the Democracy Hub assured them of its readiness to provide the necessary security for the planned protest.
She said the police had put in place sufficient measures to provide security for the exercise from 21st to 23rd September 2024, provided a new location had been decided with the organisers.
That, she said, had been duly communicated in a letter to the organisers, noting that the police was awaiting response from the organisers on the proposed new location for the protest.
The Democracy Hub, a pressure group, planned to protest by way of picketing from 21st to 23rd September at Revolution Square in front of the Jubilee House over illegal mining and other related issues.
The High Court, in a court order, prohibited the Democracy Hub, their conveners, assign agents, or any person assigned to the group from embarking on the intended demonstration.
GNA