Ituni/ Kwakwani protesters arrested, Police Constable assaulted

The police arrested ten men and four women who were involved in the blocking of the roadway at Ituni, and with the support of machinery from the Ministry of Works, the logs used to create the blockage were removed.

A Police Constable was assaulted during efforts to arrest another man, the police revealed. According to the police, the protesters used several coconut tree trunks to block the roadway at the Kwakwani Waterfront, but they were subsequently removed.

A press statement from the police noted that, “The Guyana Police Force has shown considerable restraint in this matter and wishes to reiterate its respect for the rights of all citizens to protest peacefully on issues of concern to them.”

According to the police, “The Force has no objection to persons conducting peaceful protests, but when protests degenerate into unlawful acts infringing on the rights of other citizens, the police will as a consequence have to take the appropriate action.”

Road users have been protesting the state of the road since Friday last. As a result of their protest, the Ministry of Education had to charter a plane over the weekend to send food to the Kwakwani Dormitory.

Yesterday, Public Works Minister Robeson Benn told iNews that equipment was dispatched to the area, where works are being carried out on some aspects of the road.

However, according to Minister Benn, the other parts of the road cannot be fixed unless the protest comes to an end. The Public Works Minister is hoping for good sense to prevail.