GAMBIANS TO DEMONSTRATE AGAINST US POLICE KILLINGS
Dozens of people are looking forward to taking part in a demonstration in the country as Gambians join the rest of the world to protest US police killings of unarmed blacks.
Many of the states in America have been on fire since last week after a video seen online showing a US police officer pressing his knee on the neck of a black American, George Floyd, who eventually died.
‘There have been massive violent riots across the country since, as the police clash with protesters using rubber bullets and pepper sprays to disperse crowds.
In The Gambia while people followed the ugly developments in some states in the US, news broke Saturday night that a Gambian, Momodou Lamin Sisay, son of a UN diplomat Lare Sisay was shot dead by the police in Georgia. The police claimed Sisay was involved in a shootout.’
The news, which came on the slope of strings of police killings of blacks in America, caused enormous disturbance among Gambians.
Madi Jobarteh, a human rights activist, said a police granting will be sought to hold a procession in front of the US Embassy in Banjul to convey their frustration with the way blacks are treated by US police.
“The protest is planned for Monday June 8 at 10am. We will converge in silence. We will stand on one knee like Colin Kaepernick to symbolize our mourning and condemnation of the acts of violence meted out to Blacks in the US by the police. By 10:30am we will hand over a signed petition to the Ambassador and then peacefully disperse. You can sign the petition if you come to the protest site.
“We will ensure social distancing and we urge all to donate and bring face masks, water buckets and soap and hand sanitizers in respect of the state of emergency regulations,” Madi said.
Source___Standard Newspaper
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