Sierra Leone Telegraph: 31 August 2020:
Today Monday, 31st August is a Bank holiday in England, and what normally would be the London West Indian Carnival, will because of the COVID-19 pandemic, instead be celebrated by thousands of people who will march in London to highlight the continuing killing of innocent Black people in America.
Sierra Leoneans from across Europe will also be organising a protest march in London today to draw the attention of the World to what they say is the “serious human rights abuses and breaches of the constitution in Sierra Leone by the Bio led government”.
The organisers of the “Sierra Leonean Lives Matter” protest also say that the focus of their demonstration is the “poor democratic leadership of the Sierra Leone President”.
The Like Minds For Makeni, Concerned Sierra Leoneans and The Black In the Park organisations will stage the “Sierra Leone Lives Matter Vigil for Victims of State Violence in Sierra Leone” at the Burgees Park, Albany Road in South-East London.
The event will commence at midday and all participants will be dressed in Black T-Shirts and Black Masks, according to the organisers.
“We encourage all participants to observe all COVID-19 Social Distancing guidelines and protocols. Face masks will be provided free of charge,” says a media release from the organizers who also added that “The time to speak up and be part of the process to restore our democracy and save Mama Salone is now”.
“On the day of the vigil, we will be having statements from notable members of the Sierra Leonean community and families of victims of state-sponsored violence and killings. Also, we are in the process of inviting some British Members of Parliament to make statements as well,” the organizers wrote in their email sent to Awareness Times from London.
“The Black in the Park Vigil is seeking to draw the attention of the International Community on the ongoing systematic human rights violations, rape, torture and mass killings perpetrated by state-sponsored security personnel against the ordinary people of Sierra Leone including over 30 inmates at the Pademba Road Maximum Prison on 29th April 2020, all under the watch of the current president” the organizers wrote.”
The organisers are hopeful that their demonstration will help “highlight the stories of voiceless and powerless Sierra Leoneans to the rest of the world and to urge the timely intervention of the British Government to come to the rescue of the vulnerable people of Sierra Leone.”
There has been no reaction yet from the Government Sierra Leone ofabout the planned demonstration.
Only God can help us in such a situation.
Your protests are unjust. Name the human rights abuses by the ruling government. A riot must be met with full force of the law. Send your brothers again on the streets as promised and see what will happen to them. The Government is focused on developing the country while you are instigating your bloodless supporters to jump on the streets to demonstrate against the goverment. We’ll chase you to the deepest hole that you will be hiding including your financiers.
Sorry, we can protest for all we want. We’ve been prtotesting about bad governance since the 1970s.It won’t make an iota of difference to this entrenched Bio dictatorship. And the show goes on and on. There have been massive protests before. The famous of which was the 1977 students riots, and 1980s rice riots against the dictatorship of president Stevens. Grandfathers protesting, fathers protesting, now the third generation protesting. It has become a time honoured thing. More like it runs in the family. Everyone protesting against the same corrupt system. And which unfortunately led us to the eleven years of civil war.
At one point if my memory serves me right, president Stevens’ government was on shaky grounds, he had to ask Guinean president Ahmed Seku Turay for help. Thats another monster. The problem with us Sierra Leoneans we like to lie to ourselves. We can talk the talk but can’t walk the walk. The corrupt politicians know where to locate our pulse to our heart beat Which gives them access to our brain. So brainwashing us made simple. They know which buttons to press to set us against each other on tribal and regional lines for their own personal benefit.
We know how over the decades corruption has wrecked havoc in our country. At the same time we continue to support fanatically the same corrupt politicians in every election cycle. President Bio and his government are just doing what others before him managed to accomplish, to bring our country to her knees. What is the point of changing direction, when he and his acolyte are busy enriching themselves on the backs of the ordinary families that can’t feed themselves. More like SAME TAXI DIFFERENT DRIVER. Until we utilise the power of our vote, so Bio and his likes will sweat for it, there is very little chance of effecting change. May God bless Sierra Leone.
Sorry this is not news. You published before it happens. There were only a handful there.