By Bill W. Cooper
December 17, 2024, was a day meant to symbolize unity and peaceful protest, after some Liberians dubbed “Concerns Citizens for the protection of the Constitution and rule of law” in protest, gathered in Monrovia, for the much-anticipated ‘White Tuesday’ protest.
The protest, organized by disenchanted Liberians, was aimed to address a myriad of issues, including government corruption, economic hardship, respect for the rule of law amidst the impasse at the House of Representatives over the removal of Fonati Koffa as Speaker.
But the rally later turned chaotic, leaving the what was expected to be a peaceful assembly to have ended in a deadlock, with police deploying tear gas to disperse the crowd and several arrests made, including that of Sekou Kolasco, a close aide to former President George Weah.
According to our assigned legislative reporter, the protest began peacefully in the early hours of the morning, with participants dressed in ‘white shirt’ and ‘blue jeans’ to symbolize their call for peace and justice.
The atmosphere, our reporter said was charged with anticipation as demonstrators carried placards with slogans such as “We Want Change” and “End Corruption Now, and respect the rule of law”, among others.
As the crowd swelled, the mood shifted when police began to cordon off key areas of the city, citing security concerns with reports that President Joseph Boakai was expected at the Legislature to sign the Book of Condolence of former Vice President, John Gray.
The tensions however escalated when some protesters attempted to march towards the Executive Mansion, the seat of the Presidency and the Legislature, amidst the ongoing Fiscal Year (FY 2025) budget hearing, demanding an audience with both the President and Lawmakers.
The police, equipped with riot gear, warned the protesters to do their protesting in a peaceful manner or be dispersed, but said caveat was not ahead to, thus leading to serious exchanges between the protesters and police, resulting into the firing of teargas and stones throwing.
Some eyewitnesses spoken to, narrated that the situation quickly deteriorated when police began using tear gas to disperse the crowd, and explained, “It was chaotic and people got wounded but thank God, no death reported.”
Another bystander, only identified as Nation King, said, “People were running in all directions, trying to escape the gas.
It was hard to breathe, and many were crying out for help. The use of tear gas almost led to a stampede, with some individuals injured in the process.”
In a conversation with journalists on the grounds of the Capitol, Police Spokesperson, Cecelia Clarke confirmed the use of tear gas by the police to control the situation, stating that the protest had become increasingly unruly on officers.
Madam Clarke, who could not confirm the report of protesters being injured or shot with live bullet added, “The police with investigate the report of death and injury but to my knowledge, I can’t recall anything of such, but again, as law enforcement officers, we had to take necessary measures to ensure public safety. We respect the right to protest, but we cannot allow violence and disorder to take over our streets.”
Meanwhile, the tension was later brought to a calm, when the Police tear-gassed protest scene and dispersed the aggrieved protesters including Representatives Yekeh Kolubah, Frank Saah Foko, Eugen Kollie, among others.
Also, one police officer was severely beaten by the protesters, with his weapon reportedly taken away, but protesters, believed to be closed to 20, were reportedly arrested and are said to be currently in police custody with an injured protester taken away.
Normal traffic and regular business activities got stalled for over hours in Monrovia, but calm was later restored, witnessing the resumption of normal activities and the free movement of commuters from one part of the city to another.
Among those arrested by the police was former President George Weah’s presidential aid, Sekou Kalasco who was seen in his white shirt and blue trousers and was reportedly taken into custody while attempting to negotiate with police on behalf of the protesters.
As the tempo of the protest, which many believed was ‘unsuccessful’ began to fall, its aftermath saw a heavy police presence on the Capitol Hill, holding the three branches of government, with barricades set up in key areas to prevent further gatherings.
It can be recalled that the organizers of the ‘White Tuesday’ protest assured that it is not an isolated incident but is part of a growing wave of discontent among Liberians across the country. They named the continuous economic challenges, including high inflation and unemployment rates, coupled with the alleged violation of the Liberian Constitution by some Representatives and some members of the Executive Branch over efforts to remove Koffa, as Speaker of the House.
