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ZIMBABWE:
Army mobilised against demonstrators
Bernie Stephens, Green Left Weekly
November 23, 2005
http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2005/650/650p20b.htm
Army troops
were used to retain control of streets of central Harare after demonstrators
mobilised in support of a Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU)
day of action against poverty on November 8.
Police were
taken off guard by the strength of the protest — which involved
up to 1000 people at three inner-city locations — and responded
with mass arrests.
However the
arrival of 20 demonstrators at government offices with their petitions
caused near panic among authorities, who responded by calling out
the army.
Zimbabwe Social
Forum (ZSF) activists had mobilised strongly for the action and
disabled, women and HIV/AIDS activists, socialists and young people
were among the arrested.
The organiser
had notified police of the march but verbal permission was withdrawn
at the last minute. The demonstrators decided to march anyway.
Most of the
116 people arrested in Harare were charged under section 19, the
"unlawful" assembly provisions of the Public Order and
Security Act (POSA), an undemocratic law that is a hangover from
the apartheid era.
While most people
arrested were released on November 11, many were released under
summons, which means that they can be rearrested to face the charges
if police "investigations" so warrant. They face a maximum
penalty of 14 years’ jail.
Despite living
conditions that make it difficult for people just to survive, repressive
legislation and the mass demolitions and evictions carried out against
urban workers and the poor earlier this year, the mood remains defiant.
President Robert Mugabe’s regime is exposed — calling out the army
could be a last resort.
The success
of the November 8 demonstration and the participation of the ZCTU
leadership and ZSF participants has given activists renewed confidence
to call further street actions.
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