SW Radio Africa (London)
Alex Bell
4 December 2008
At least 22 people were seriously injured after demonstrators clashed with police on the streets of Harare on Thursday afternoon - during a peaceful demonstration organised by the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA).
The NCA has called on the people of Zimbabwe to protest regularly and consistently, every week ,until a resolution to the political crisis engulfing Zimbabwe is found and implemented. The protests call for a transitional authority, not a government, to immediately address the desperate humanitarian crisis and as well as facilitate the writing of a people-driven democratic constitution.
But the past two mass actions have been marred by a violent crackdown on the demonstrators, who have faced arrest and beatings at the hands of police. A female NCA member suffered a miscarriage after being severely assaulted by police when she and more than 20 others were arrested in the first round of demonstrations last month. Last week several people were injured and another two demonstrators were arrested when the NCA again took to the streets.
NCA spokesman Madock Chivasa explained on Thursday evening that more than 1000 people gathered in Nelson Mandela Avenue in Harare in the afternoon. He described the action as very successful because of the large number of protesters that joined the mass action, but he explained that shortly after the march began, police again descended on them.
"The police fired tear gas into the protesters and started beating people," Chivasa explained. "It led to running battles with the police and it ended in chaos."
Chivasa said that at least 22 people were seriously injured in the clash with police, and by Thursday evening the group was still trying to establish how many people had been arrested.
"Currently our lawyers are trying to track down who has been arrested," Chivasa said. "The police were picking up people randomly off the streets so we don't know how many people have been taken."
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EVERY CITIZEN, UNION, ORGANIZATION, ETC. MUST JOIN THE DEMONSTRATION AND MUST CONTINUE TO DEMONSTRATE TILL MUGABE STEPS DOWN AND TRY FOR CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY. LET HIM SPEND HIS LAST DAY BEHIND BAR...
ZIMBABWEANS, ARISE AND TAKE BACK YOUR COUNTRY. IT IS TIME FOR CHANGE, IT IS TIME TO TAKE BACK YOUR GOVERNMENT AND COUNTRY. IT IS TIME TO END THE TERRIOR!!! YOU HAVE GOT TO TAKE THE STAND YOURSELF. ORGANIZE AND BLOCKADE THE GOVERNMENT TILL IT IS NOT ABLE TO FUNCTION AND GIVES IN. THE KEY OF CHANGE IS YOUR HANDS...
Thats the purpose of the Home Affairs Ministry according to Mugabe. Munhu andikona like every other Zimbabweans this man is not fit to be a head of state.