Call off the goons

ON MORE than one occasion, in recent times, there have been reports of so-called 'political activists' intervening to prevent protesters from blocking roads and engaging in other forms of protest.

The most recent instance was the protest demonstration by taxi drivers following the killing of one of their colleagues by a policeman.

According to the news report, soldiers and police were kept busy removing metal drums from the streets while firemen tried to extinguish blazing tyres. When the demonstrators threatened to block Slipe Road again as soon as the security forces left, other men identified as ' political activists' threatened to "give them a sound thrashing" if the roads were blocked again.

Who are these 'political activists' and to whom do they owe allegiance? We recall that following the gas demonstrations Mr. Paul Burke, the chairman of Region Three of the People's National Party, vowed that never again would protesters be allowed to take control of the streets. Are the attempts by so-called 'political activists' to break up demonstrations and threaten demonstrators an implementation of that vow?

This is not a trend that should be taken lightly. The only persons empowered by law to intervene in demonstrations by citizens are the members of the security forces. And it is the security forces that must take a firm position against these extra-legal enforcers.

This society has enough problems as it is with ensuring civil liberties, without adding to them by turning a blind eye to vigilante groups which have a political lineage to Haiti's Tonton Macoutes and Hitler's Brown Shirts.

The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner.

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