The Dean of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Prof. Vladimir Antwi-Danso, has criticized some actions taken by Democracy Hub demonstrators during the recent Accra protests, particularly the actions of convenor Oliver Barker-Vormawor.
The security expert expressed concern over what he described as unlawful behavior during the protests. He specifically condemned Barker-Vormawor’s decision to remove the key from a police vehicle, an act he considered highly inappropriate and unlawful.
“You can’t do this anywhere in the world and go scot-free. What right did that person have to enter a police vehicle and ignite it, with the hope of doing what? To be honest with you, I was appalled,” Antwi-Danso said in an interview with JoyNews.
He emphasized the importance of maintaining peaceful and lawful conduct, even when addressing critical national issues like illegal mining. According to him, actions like tampering with a police vehicle undermine the democratic values the protesters claim to uphold.
“I can’t even believe that any good person believing in democracy, as they call themselves, Democracy Hub, would think it’s their democratic right to enter a police vehicle and attempt to use it or tamper with it. This is criminal, honestly speaking,” he added.
The protest, which formed part of the #StopGalamseyNow and #ReOccupyJulorbiHouse demonstrations, has resulted in the arrest and remand of 51 protesters including Barker-Vormawor by an Accra Circuit Court as of Thursday, September 26.
However, Noah Adamtey, a member of the legal team representing the protesters, has alleged that the state is more interested in punishing the demonstrators rather than ensuring justice. He claimed the remanded protesters were denied access to their lawyers, a violation of their constitutional rights.
Adamtey, speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story, suggested that the state’s focus is on deterring future protests against galamsey rather than addressing the legal issues fairly.