Police Brutality Surfaces

-
Students say they were protesting the continuous absence of teachers from the classroom


Riot police chase students beating them with sticks

One of the students who was beaten by the police

                                   MOE’s Deputy Communications Director J. Shannon Goe

                       Principal of the Matilda Newport Junior High School Mr. Steven George



Police Brutality Surfaces
In Peaceful Assembly of Students
Wade C.L. Williams
Monrovia's main street, Broad Street was a scene of chaos when riot police armed with sticks resorted to violence to disburse a crowd of protesting students.
Students of the Matilda Newport Junior High School on Newport Street garthered Monday morning as early as 8:00am before the Ministry of Education to demand why teachers were boycutting classes. 
The students told reporters on the scene that they were told by their teachers that they (teachers) have not received their salaries from the Liberian government for several months now.
"The main reason that we are on the street is because our teachers are saying they have not been paid therefore they are not coming to classes,"
The police Anti riot unit were seen beating students with large sticks used as baton. Students expressed shock that the police who are expected to protect lives would want to harm them. 
"After a meeting with the Minister of education we came downstairs to talk to our students to calm down in the process the police officer jumped on me and started to beat me with the baton and tore my bag," says Timothy Kpelleh of the 9th grade.
Speaking to journalists in his office at the MOE Deputy Communications Director J. Shannon Goe, dismissed students claim that teachers are not being paid. “Teachers are being paid. I’m not aware that any teacher has not been paid. We asked them who are the teachers that are saying they have not been paid but they can’t tell us.”
Mr. Goe asserted that some hidden hands are using the students to cause confusion as this is a political season in the country and called on such individuals to desist from putting students in the street to demonstrate. He appealed to the students to always follow the right procedure in expressing their grievances.
Yonton B. Kesselly Deputy Minister for Vocational and Technical Education and Acting Deputy Minister for Instruction MOE made it clear that the students were not demonstrating but according to him:”What the students did was that they had a peaceful march before the Ministry of Education to make inquiry as to why there are no teachers in the classroom,” says Min. Kesselly.
The deputy minister described the situation of police using force against students as unfortunate and that it was not the intention of the students to engage the police. He appealed to the students to go home and return to school today.
Min. Kesselly blamed the situation on rumors and demanded that the teachers needed to answer questions on the issue raised by the students. “It’s absolutely a fallacy, it’s hearsay, it’s a ‘they say’ at no time has the government or the Ministry of Education in particular is owing any of its personnel so far as I know,” says Kesselly.
Continued Kesselly: “It was something masterminded by somebody but we’re going to dig the details out and get to the press as soon as possible.”
The Principal of the Newport Junior High School Mr. Steven George said there were few teachers at the school but revealed that students did not come prepared to go to class. “We talked to them that the rumors they heard are not true that teachers are not being paid, as I’m speaking to you all civil servants have received their pay for february,” says George. 
Police Commanders on the scene refused to comment on why they used force on the students but referred the Press to the Public Information section of the LNP. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

George Tubman Laid To Rest

-
Image
The Children of the deceased described their father as an outstanding person, a man of principles with strong family values. The Government of Liberia in its lamentation said Liberia has lost a dedicated public servant. The Children and sympathizers watch as the mortal remains of Mr. Tubman is being lowered into the grave                  Mrs. Rachel Tubman wife of the deceased being consoled by her siblings The body of the deceased being carried by his fellow masons  A cross section of sympathizers including Musa Bility of the LFA Cllr. Winston Tubman and other family members listen to the eulogy, saddened by such great loss                                       Aquilla Cox and William V.S. Tubman Jr.at the fun...
Read more

Positively Impacting Education

-
Image
Positively Impacting Education J.J. Roberts Foundation commemorates Founder’s 202nd Birth Anniversary  Wade C.L. Williams Programs marking the celebration of the birthday of the Late President Roberts began from the College of West Africa , Ashmun Street , at 8:30 A. M. on March 15 with a parade of the Foundation’s scholarship students from high schools, colleges and technical institutions to the Center Street grave site where they laid floral designs in memory of their benefactor. Thereafter, the students marched to the Ducor Hillside Monument for the laying of floral designs and back to the First United Methodist Church for the indoor program which began at 11:00 A.M.  Joseph Jenkins Roberts, the first and seventh president of Liberia (1848 – 1856 and 1872 – 1876), established in perpetuity the “Joseph Jenkins Roberts Educational Foundation” in his LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT admitted to Probate 6 th day of March A.D. 1876 leaving his entire estate (coffee farm) and a Un...
Read more

Bloody Tuesday

-
Image
 “Some of the students ran in my house for rescue, the police ran to the house stepped the door, they went on the children and start beating the children. All my doors them, half of my doors them they burst it, throwing rocks all over the building”. - Watta McGill, a resident of the Bassa Community Wade C.L. Williams wade.williams@frontpageafricaonline.com Bloody Tuesday Police Rain Havoc On G.W. Gibson High School Twenty Seven Students Sustain Severe Injuries 25 Arrested B lood running down his head, Varney Sherriff, hid himself in the bathroom hoping to escape the wrath of angry police wielding batons. But on this Tuesday, Sheriff, a 10 th Grade student at the G.W. Gibson School on the Capitol Bye Pass would not enjoy the luxury of an escape as officers of the Liberian National Police followed a trail of blood and wreaked havoc on the young lad in his temporary hideout. This was the scene Tuesday at several points in Monrovia when police officers tried to quell...
Read more