[Onthebarricades] Uprisings, December 2008

[global resistance roundup]

* NIGERIA: Police murder protesters in unrest over police violence
* YEMEN: Southern mobilisations continue
* ZAMBIA: Roadblocks, damage in protest over police extortion
* GHANA: Offices besieged in election protest
* COLOMBIA: Unrest over pyramid scheme collapse
* ZIMBABWE: Clashes at bank as inflation, crisis bite










http://allafrica.com/stories/200812020580.html

Nigeria: Five Feared Dead As Police Shoot Protesters in Ondo
Dayo Johnson
2 December 2008
NO fewer than five people including a pastor were reportedly killed in 
Idanre, Ondo State, as police in the town allegedly opened fire on a mob 
protesting the death of a woman whose death was allegedly caused by 
policemen at a check-point.
However, uneasy calm pervades the town following the incidents which had 
attracted wide condemnations while a self-imposed curfew has taken over 
the town.
Vanguard gathered that the incident occurred last Friday when some 
mobile policemen at a check-point in the Yaba area of Idanre were said 
to have stopped the driver of a 911 trailer conveying banana who did not 
obey the order.
The pastor, whose identity is yet to be ascertained, was said to be 
riding on a motorcycle when he was reportedly hit by a stray bullet 
fired by one of the policemen to disperse protesting okada riders in the 
town.
An eyewitness told newsmen that one of the policemen shot at the tyres 
of the trailer which made him lose control, knocked down a commercial 
motorcycle killing a female passenger instantly.
The development angered other okada riders and residents who mobilised 
by dumping the corpse of the lady at the police station in the town.
It was further learnt that the policemen reportedly fired into the 
protesters. In the melee, five people were said to have been killed.
A medical doctor said only two persons died while one of the protesters 
was hit by a bullet from the police. He said the injured person is still 
on the danger list at a hospital where he was rushed to for treatment.
Meanwhile, the police have denied any involvement in the deaths.
The police image-maker, Mr. Adeniran Aremu, said the divisional police 
officer in the town only said that a vehicle ran on a commercial 
motorcyclist and killed his passenger.
Aremu, who denied that the police opened fire on the protester said that 
the incident was "a pure case of accident and not police brutality."
(Vanguard, Nigeria)







http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/195229.php

December 01, 2008
Pro-Democracy Demonstrations in Ibb, Yemen


Yemen Post: Many demonstrations were held in various districts of Ibb 
province in protest against what protestors claim is the election 
expropriation and the coup against democracy.
While demonstrations in the South have been going on for over a year, 
and there have been some tied to specific grievances throughout Yemen, 
since voter registration was announced, the entire country has witnessed 
large scale demonstrations. The catalyst is the demand for electoral 
reform prior to the April Parliamentary elections in Yemen. In essence, 
the people are demanding a clean election. They know that the outcome is 
pre-determined as it stands now with President Saleh's ruling party in 
charge of the voter registration committees and electoral commission.
By Jane at December 1, 2008 09:05 PM






http://allafrica.com/stories/200812020507.html

Zambia: Minibus Drivers Protest
2 December 2008

PUBLIC drivers operating on Lusaka's town centre-Chilenje route 
yesterday parked their minibuses and damaged others in protest against a 
traffic police officer whom they alleged has been demanding money from 
them for any road regulation contravention.
But acting Inspector General of Police, Francis Kabonde refuted the 
allegations and warned that the police would not allow anarchy among the 
drivers because they were risking lives of members of the public.
The drivers, who abandoned the route as early as 04:00 hours, started 
gathering at selected bus stops where they ambushed any minibus seen 
carrying passengers as a way of picketing.
Several residents of Chilenje South township and other areas serviced by 
the route were stranded at various points and some of them could not 
make it to work while others resorted to walking.
Those at town centre could not reach the township and other areas on the 
route because no minibus was allowed to operate.
A number of minibuses, mainly belonging to Flash, were damaged and by 
08:00 hours about five of them were found parked at Kabwata Police 
Station with shattered window panes.
A driver talked to said that the drivers operating on the route were 
angered by a traffic police officer who allegedly demanded a lot of 
money from them whenever they were found contravening the laws.
A driver who sought anonymity said the officer was recently transferred 
from Central Police station to Chilenje and since his relocation, he had 
been demanding money from them and whoever refused was allegedly 
threatened with stiff charges.
On why they were targeting Flash minibuses, the driver alleged the 
police treated the buses and drivers from the company like "sacred cows."
Mr Kabonde and Road Transport and Safety Agency (RSTA) director Fredrick 
Mwalusaka are planning to introduce a law in which road contraveners 
will be taken to court instead of paying admission of guilt fees to the 
police.
Mr Kabonde and Mr Mwalusaka said the decision follows the continued 
complaints over charges, especially among bus operators, which in some 
cases has brought about protests.
Mr Kabonde who was speaking to journalists was reacting to yesterday's 
protests among bus drivers in Lusaka over the alleged impounding of 
buses, charging and claims of not being given receipts.
He said so far, police had not received any report of any traffic 
officer who was alleged to have been over charging minibus drivers and 
challenged those with evidence to report to his office.
He said following confusions yesterday, he summoned the officer to his 
office. He produced a receipt book and a number of people who have paid 
after admitting the charge.
He said the receipts also showed that out of 18 minibuses which were 
impounded, 15 had paid admission of guilty fees while the other three 
had not.
He said police officers would not sit and watch such lawlessness. He 
said police would soon be meeting the owners of the minibuses with a 
view of finding a lasting solution to what he termed as "life 
threatening " behaviour.
And Mr Mwalusaka described the confusion, which erupted yesterday 
morning as sad because his organisation and drivers representatives had 
been holding talks over various concerns raised so far.
He said that allowing the courts to rule over the situation would 
address the matters of payments.
He further said the agency had no plans to increase the users fees and 
that it would soon be holding a public hearing on the conduct of the 
minibus drivers.
(Times of Zambia)






http://www.modernghana.com/news/197178/1/afp-violent-protest-over-ghana-poll-results.html

AFP: Violent protest over Ghana poll results
By AFP
General News | Thu, 01 Jan 2009

Ghanaian police fired water cannon late Wednesday on ruling party 
supporters who besieged the country's Electoral Commission in protest at 
presidential election results, witnesses and local media said.

Dozens of angry protesters wielding machetes and sticks attacked passing 
vehicles and local journalists after partial results from the run-off 
vote gave the opposition candidate a lead.

Completed official results for 229 of the 230 constituencies have shown 
opposition leader John Atta-Mills maintaining a slim lead over governing 
party candidate Nana Akufo-Addo.

The demonstrators only dispersed after the regional minister for greater 
Accra addressed the crowd and assured them of victory after the decisive 
vote in a remote constituency which has emerged as decisive.

Voters in Tain, a western constituency of just over 50,000 eligible 
voters, will cast their run-off ballots on Friday.

They failed to vote Sunday because of problems in the distribution of 
ballot papers -- and because the official results so far are too close 
to call, the result there could effectively decide who runs Ghana for 
the next four years.

The protest lasted roughly two hours, according to security sources at 
the scene.

An AFP reporter saw broken glass and other debris in the aftermath of 
the demonstration. Electoral commission officials at the scene refused 
to comment.

Meantime, the NPP has officially lodged its complaint to the electoral 
commission over alleged electoral irregularities in the opposition 
stronghold of the Volta region.

Senior NPP officials led by campaign director Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, 
were seen entering the EC offices to hand over the petition early 
evening on Wednesday.





http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=155512

Wednesday, 31 December 2008

NPP youth in protest demonstration

Accra, Dec. 31, GNA - A number of New Patriotic Party (NPP) youths on 
Wednesday afternoon besieged the Electoral Commission (EC) offices in 
Accra to protest against the holding of the Presidential Election Runoff 
in the Tain Constituency on Friday.

They were shouting and demanding that the votes from the Volta Region 
should be audited before the holding of the election in Tain. Some of 
them were holding placards one of which read: "No Volta No Tain".

The youths, who were wearing NPP tee-shirts and other NPP paraphernalia, 
sang and danced behind crowd barriers mounted by the Police on the roads 
leading to the offices.

At a certain stage they surged forward and the Police drove them back by 
spraying water on them.

Sheik I.C. Quaye, Greater Accra Regional Minister, later invited them to 
his residence at Ridge.

As they moved from the EC offices to the residence of Sheik Quaye, they 
destroyed a bill board of Professor John Evans Atta Mills, Presidential 
Candidate of National Democratic Congress (NDC), mounted along the 
Liberation Road at the junction to the residence of Former President 
Jerry John Rawlings at Ridge.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Opong-Boanuh, in charge of the 
operation; told GNA that everything had been brought under control. He 
advised that, party leaders should take pre-emptive action by talking to 
their youths to refrain from acts that undermined the security of the State.

The GNA Reporter had a taste of the youths' anger when they seized his 
pen and notebook from him.

One of them asked: "Are you from Radio Gold? Adding, Radio Gold has been 
inciting the NDC youth."

Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), on 
Tuesday announced that because the results of Tain Constituency could 
mathematically determine the outcome of the Runoff, he was deferring the 
declaration of the winner of the 2008 Presidential Election Runoff.

He explained that the number of voters in the Tain constituency was more 
than the difference between Professor Mills and Nana Addo Dankwa 
Akufo-Addo of New Patriotic Party (NPP).

"He announced that the results from 229 out of the 230 constituencies 
that have been certified by the EC, gave Prof Mills 4,501,466 votes 
representing 50.13 per cent of the total valid votes cast while Nana 
Akufo-Addo garnered 4,478,411 votes, representing 49.87 per cent.

Thus the difference of 23,055 votes could not give Prof Mills the 
presidency since the number of voters in the Tain constituency was more 
than the figure.






http://www.breitbart.com/image.php?id=iafp081231150130.zuaq6kryp1&show_article=1

Thousands of opposition activists have staged a protest vigil

Soldiers try to calm supporters of the opposition National Democratic 
Congress in Accra. Ghana's presidential rivals were gearing up Wednesday 
for a final push in a remote constituency yet to hold its second-round 
ballot, which could decide who governs their country.








http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081223/pyramid-scheme-protest-injures-5-in-colombia.htm

Pyramid scheme protest injures 5 in Colombia

By AP
23 December 2008 @ 11:22 am EST
Next Politics & Policy Article
BOGOTA, Colombia - Six people are in custody after a crowd ransacked the 
home of an alleged pyramid scheme representative.
About 300 people went to the man's home to demand the return of their 
money. But when they found the house empty, they broke inside and tried 
to set it on fire.
The group then set ablaze the man's business, as well as the offices of 
a local judge and prosecutor.
The protest began late Monday in La Hormiga, a town in Colombia's 
coca-growing southern region. Five people were injured.
Mayor Leandro Romo says officials sent in extra police to regain control 
of the town.
President Alvaro Uribe shut down DMG Group Holdings, S.A. after 
investigators found it had laundered drug money and raked in $435 
million this year.






http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=324042&CategoryId=12393

Collapse of Pyramid Scheme Spurs Riot in Colombia
The mob burned several courts, the office of the public prosecutor and 
local offices of the firm that ran the pyramid scheme, as well as the 
home of one of the managers of that firm and some cars in the street.

BOGOTA -- Four people were hurt and several buildings burned when 
investors defrauded by a pyramid scheme went on the rampage in a town in 
the southern Colombian province of Putumayo, authorities said Tuesday.

In radio interviews, La Hormiga Mayor Leandro Romo issued an urgent plea 
for help from the national government.

The mob burned several courts, the office of the public prosecutor and 
local offices of the firm that ran the pyramid scheme, as well as the 
home of one of the managers of that firm and some cars in the street.

"The community is furious. Since last night (Monday) they began 
plundering and causing disturbances and there is no public authority 
that can control the situation," Romo said.

"More than 300, some 400 people have taken advantage of the dark of 
night to cause these disturbances," said the mayor, who added that his 
town has only 33 police officers.

Romo also regretted that "there is not a military or police authority 
capable of enforcing" the curfew imposed to curb the disorders.

While in Bogota, National Police Gen. Orlando Paez announced that 150 
members of the force's riot squad were sent to La Hormiga to restore order.

The recent collapse of a number of companies that lured investors with 
promises of 300 percent returns led to serious disturbances and the 
declaration by the government of President Alvaro Uribe of a state of 
"social emergency" to try and calm the situation.










http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/393900/1/.html

Zimbabwe police beat up protesters as country issues 100-million-dollar note
Posted: 03 December 2008 1747 hrs
Zimbabweans waiting outside a bank in Harare. (file pic)

HARARE: Zimbabwe police beat up about 20 people protesting on Wednesday 
over their inability to get their money out of banks as the authorities 
prepared to issue the first 100-million-dollar notes.

Officers used batons to hit the protesters, members of the Zimbabwe 
Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) who had gathered for a protest march, an 
AFP correspondent at the scene reported.

No arrests have been made yet and the ZCTU said it would release a 
formal statement later Wednesday.

Zimbabwe has issued three new denominations of banknotes, including a 
one-hundred-million-dollar note, as the impoverished country struggles 
to cope with runaway inflation, state media reported Wednesday.

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) said the release of the new notes 
followed a recent review of the limit on cash withdrawal.

The limit has been revised upwards to 50 million Zimbabwe dollars for 
individuals and 100 million for company account holders, The Herald said.

Before the recent increase, the withdrawal limit for individual account 
holders was 500,000 dollars while companies were allowed to withdraw one 
million dollars a day, it said.

The introduction of the new notes – 100 million, 50 million and 10 
million – comes at a time when depositors have been spending hours in 
long queues at banking halls and cash dispensers to withdraw, the 
newspaper said.

The new notes will come into circulation on Thursday, it said.

RBZ governor Gideon Gono, whose five-year term has just been renewed, 
recently announced that the bank was working to ensure that workers had 
enough cash during the festive season.

The new move comes less than a month after the central bank introduced 
one million, 500,000 and 100,000 notes, to deal with the skyrocketing 
prices of basic goods.

The 100,000 banknote is worth only one US dollar on the widely-used 
parallel black market and is only half the amount needed to buy a loaf 
of bread.

Twenty-seven new currency denominations have been introduced in Zimbabwe 
this year alone.

Once described as a model economy and a regional breadbasket, Zimbabwe's 
economy has collapsed over the past decade and there are now shortages 
of basic foodstuffs like sugar and cooking oil.

When Gono was appointed in November 2003, inflation was 619.50 per cent 
but as of July, annual inflation hit 213 million per cent.

- AFP/so





http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_News&set_id=1&click_id=79&art_id=nw20081203113933377C131480

Zim cops smash cash protest

December 03 2008 at 11:47AM

Harare - Zimbabwean riot police on Wednesday beat a group of unarmed 
protesters and detained a number of trade union leaders during the 
latest in a series of demonstrations over crippling cash withdrawal 
limits that have rattled Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's regime.

The police used batons to beat back a group of around 50 protesters that 
attempted to march on the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe in central Harare to 
demand an end to cash restrictions.

Over 20 people, including several senior officials of the Zimbabwe 
Congress of Trade Unions, the body that called the protest, were taken 
away in police trucks.

The demonstrators carried placards reading "No to cash limits" and "We 
are tired of sleeping at the banks."
The police action followed a warning by the government that "rogue 
soldiers" who rioted in central Harare on Monday and had to be subdued 
by police would be apprehended and "brought to justice."

In the regime's first reaction to an orgy of looting and attacks by 
soldiers on illegal street currency dealers, it indicated that the 
unrest was much more widespread in Harare than previously known.

Defence Minister Sydney Sekeremayi was quoted in the state-controlled 
daily Herald as saying that similar incidents "perpetrated by by unruly 
elements of the defence forces" had occurred in and around the capital 
four days before Monday's violence.

Sekeremayi has also accused the ZCTU of colluding with the disgruntled 
officers, who ran amok on Monday, apparently in frustration at having to 
queue for hours at ATMs to withdraw their salaries.

The incident appears to have shocked the regime, which appeared 
confident of the loyalty of the army, despite the country's economic 
meltdown, characterised by world-record inflation, widespread hunger and 
a severe cholera outbreak.

Nine-figure inflation has made cash extremely short and led banks to 
impose unrealistically low maximum withdrawal limits. Zimbabweans are 
increasingly frustrated at having to queue for hours to withdraw less 
than price of a loaf of bread.

The limit has just been increased to 100-million Zimbabwe dollars (about 
50 US dollars) a week, from 500 000 Zimbabwe dollars (about 25 US cents).

Also Wednesday, the central bank announced the issue of new 100-million 
Zimbabwe dollar bank notes, only four months after it slashed 10 zeroes 
off the previous set of denominations.

Sekeremayi said that over the five days up to Monday, "a number of 
properties were damaged, innocent people injured, money and property 
stolen," by off-duty soldiers, the minister said, calling the acts 
"unacceptable, deplorable, reprehensible and criminal."

But the "vast majority" of defence forces were disciplined and loyal, he 
assured, vowing to put in place measures to ensure such incidents did 
not occur again.

"Those who may try to incite some members of the uniformed forces to 
indulge in illegal activities will equally be found culpable," he 
warned. - Sapa-dpa







http://allafrica.com/stories/200812011319.html

SW Radio Africa (London)
Zimbabwe: Bank Cash Withdrawals Increased Again as Protests Gather Momentum
Alex Bell
1 December 2008

Zimbabwe's central bank will yet again raise daily cash withdrawal 
limits this week, amid mounting tension and threats of serious protest 
action by civil society.
Zimbabwe's official inflation rate stands at a record breaking 231 
million percent, but experts say the rate has reached far beyond the 
quintillion mark. In an attempt to harness the country's runaway 
inflation, the Reserve Bank capped daily cash withdrawal limits - a move 
that promptly backfired. This week's limit increase will be the third in 
as many months, and each change has brought with it immediate price 
hikes. The current limit of Z$500,000 a day does not cover even the most 
basic of living costs and Zimbabweans spend days in queues just to buy food.
At the same time, amid a national cholera crisis that has claimed 
hundreds of lives, Zimbabweans cannot withdraw enough money to pay for 
critically needed medication or the transport to get the sick to 
hospitals and clinics. The situation has led to last week's call by the 
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) for Zimbabweans to converge on 
banks this Wednesday and stage demonstrations if they fail to withdraw 
their funds from the banks. The action is set to go ahead in spite of it 
being a day before the withdrawal limits increase.
As of Thursday the daily limit of Z$500 000 will be increased to Z$100 
million a week - which has been averaged at an estimated Z$14 million a 
day. It is still unclear how the banks will determine the public's daily 
withdrawal limits, but there are doubts this drastic increase will make 
any difference on the ground.
Madock Chivasa from pressure group the National Constitutional Assembly 
(NCA) said these measures taken by the Reserve Bank are 'not addressing 
the problem', arguing the root of the economic crisis is a crisis of 
'governance'.
"The central bank can raise the withdrawal limits time and time again, 
but it has been proved it makes no difference," Chivasa argued. "Until 
the governance crisis is addressed there will be no change for average 
Zimbabweans."
Chivasa made the comments while explaining the NCA's decision to 
postpone its weekly protest to Thursday, in solidarity with the ZCTU 
action on Wednesday. He explained the move would allow members of the 
NCA to join the ZCTU action and urged the public to add more pressure by 
taking part in both demonstrations.
"There is great need for civil society and the public at large to 
continue to facilitate numerous and diverse protest actions until 
democracy is established in Zimbabwe," Chivasa said.
Meanwhile, Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR) Zimbabwe said in a 
statement on Monday that it calls upon all Zimbabweans and other civic 
organisations to join in protests to "register anger for the unresolved 
political, socio-economic multi-layered crises in Zimbabwe."
More than 350 members of the group in Bindura, as well as residents, 
took to the streets on Monday as part of ROHR's "multilayered campaign 
for Democracy and Justice." The protests are calling for a quick 
resolution to the political impasse and the creation of a transitional 
government that should be able to quickly deal with the worsening 
humanitarian crisis caused by a total breakdown of the socio-economic 
fabric of the country. The protesters marched from the CBD of Bindura 
along the main street and ended at Chipadze, where a strong police 
presence forced people to disperse.