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Zimbabwe protesters arrested
Zimbabwe police have arrested scores of demonstrators as they tried to protest against worsening economic conditions they blame on mismanagement by President Robert Mugabeâs government. Witnesses said riot police armed with batons sealed off a square in the capital Harareâs city center Wednesday, trapping National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) activists who had gathered to demonstrate against chronic shortages of fuel, foreign currency and food. Could have been worse, they could have been parboiled and served with barbecue sauce: Congolese "beef". A Reuters correspondent saw about a dozen protesters loaded into a truck while riot police, some with police dogs, stood guard over another group. NCA members said as many as 400 people were arrested and taken to police stations. NCA spokesperson Ernest Mudzengi said Wednesday police arrested the groupâs chairman Lovemore Madhuku in the crackdown at Africa Unity Square, near parliament and Mugabeâs town offices. "The NCA activists were protesting against the problems of fuel, the problems of transport, escalating inflation and all the other problems facing Zimbabweans which are a result of bad governance, which is itself the result of a defective constitution," Mudzengi told Reuters. All starting with a thug in power. Police had no immediate comment on the arrests. "We will say no more!" Posted by: Steve White 2003-10-25 |
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