-police barriers thrown down, approved route altered

By Gaulbert Sutherland

Banging empty pots, pans and milk cans, a PNCR protest march on the cost of living ploughed through city streets yesterday, overrunning police barriers to get to Parliament Buildings where an effigy of President Bharrat Jagdeo and mock coffins representing VAT were set afire.

The march, another in the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR)-led actions saw one of the larger crowds in the series of protests led by the main opposition party so far and for a period descended into unruliness as protesters dodged police and broke through barriers to move into other areas that were not a part of the route, notably Regent Street.

This was condemned by the Guyana Police Force, which in a press release last evening, expressed “gross disappointment” with the conduct of PNCR leader Robert Corbin and members and supporters of his party “for their display” during yesterday’s march. “To the shock and surprise of members of the Force and perhaps all law abiding citizens, the barriers at Brickdam and Manget Place used to prevent traffic, other than members of Parliament, from proceeding west along Brickdam were thrown down and the protestors then proceeded to outside of Parliament in breach of the approved route”, the release stated. It said that the police were forced to exercise great restraint taking into consideration the many businesses and persons assembled along the streets where the protesters breached. “The Guyana Police Force wishes to state that appropriate actions will be taken in relation to the breaches of the law identified”, the release added.

The procession moved to Regent Street after the march moved off from parliament, and saw protesters breaching the police barrier at the corner of Avenue of the Republic and Robb Street before rushing to Regent Street, forcing some obviously terrified shop-owners to hastily bolt their doors. During this time there were no notable PNCR leaders at the head of the procession and the presence of heavily armed police and the urgings of some persons prevented them from proceeding farther up the street. Dodging police, who drove around in their vehicles, the crowd moved quickly to the John Ford Car Park at the corner of Church and East Streets, where a rally was held.