Police had decided not to stop march for fear of violence
McDonald warns of sterner control measures
Stabroek News
July 5, 2002
Related Links: Articles on Presidental Complex attack
Letters Menu Archival Menu
The Guyana Police Force chose not to prevent the illegal march from the East Coast from entering the city on Wednesday for fear that it could result in violence.

It eventually ended in deadly violence, looting and arson when some protesters split from the main march and invaded the Office of the President compound. Two protesters were shot dead in the melee and several others injured. The protesters looted and set fires in the aftermath of this and two stores on Regent Road burned down.

Leader of the People's Solidarity Movement, Phillip Bynoe, led hundreds of people into Georgetown on Wednesday morning. What followed was an orgy of crime; robbing of persons, looting, arson and the storming of the Office of the President resulting in two protesters being fatally shot.

Acting Police Commissioner Floyd McDonald yesterday said that as long as there was credible evidence that Bynoe breached the law, action would be taken against him. "Well I indicated that the march was not approved so obviously he has to be charged," he said.

McDonald told a press conference yesterday at Police Headquarters, Eve Leary that certain politicians misled the protesters and the statements made by those politicians, provided a platform for "nonsensical conduct" by the protesters. He quoted some of the statements as "bad boy against bad boy and shoot gat shoot back," adding that the politicians had said that they wanted to remove the government.

"We decided not to engage them there [on the East Coast] because of what we felt may have occurred had we done that," he said, adding that the fact that persons got up at 3:30 am and lit fires was an indication of what they wanted to do.

He said that the force did a "threat analysis" and identified two other locations as possible targets and while they had a barrier at the Office of the President it was not at the New Garden Street end, but at the Square of the Revolution.

Questions were raised as to why the protesters had such easy access to the Office of the President. McDonald said that those of the invaders who survived "are lucky to be alive.

"That place is sacrosanct and should always be protected regardless of the cost. We are very concerned about that behaviour of those hooligans, criminals, or whatever you want to call them. We would not allow that situation to be manifested again and stronger measures will be taken whenever it appears."

He further stated that the Office of the President must not be regarded as an ordinary office, "I consider it to be an affront to this entire country for those elements to even attempt to enter that building without permission."

He admitted that the protesters should have been dealt with at the gate, but surmised that there would have been more deaths.

"... The guards used some amount of restraint in an effort not to waste lives. But they took advantage of the desire of the guards not to harm them," McDonald said.

McDonald said that there was no negligence by the officers present at the Office of the President and added that it should be remembered that the police had rules of engagement and the use of deadly force must be in keeping with the law. "We still are guided by United Nations convention and we need to sometimes - to much criticism - exercise some amount of tolerance," he said.

McDonald confirmed at the press briefing that the force's operational arrangement was heavily concentrated on preparations for the opening of the CARICOM conference and the protection of the venues. "It is unfortunate that persons would use this opportunity to engage in acts of criminality and vandalism much to the embarrassment of the country," he said.

According to McDonald, on July 2, Bynoe's application for a number of marches was denied. He said that Bynoe applied for marches, starting from Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara, one from the Square of the Revolution and another starting from the University of Guyana (UG) access road.

"Based on our assessment of the situation and the fact that we were engaged in a major activity we consider it inappropriate to grant permission for him to engage in that march," the acting commissioner said. He said that the police's decision to refuse permission was also premised on information it received on some statements by Bynoe and another politician on the East Coast.

"So Bynoe was informed that no approval was given for him to engage in that procession McDonald said.

Chronological

Giving a chronological account of what transpired, the acting commissioner told reporters that early on Wednesday, at around 3 am, the police received information that there was a fire at the Golden Grove market square. He said that when the police visited the area they found about 50 persons drumming and shouting "mo fyah, mo fyah." The ranks quickly extinguished the fire and at around 3:50 am another fire was lit on the Victoria Public Road, another East Coast village, and that was also extinguished by the ranks with assistance from the fire service.

Subsequently, on the Belfield Public Road, East Coast, the chassis of a car was put across the road blocking the traffic, but this again was removed by the ranks who maintained a presence in the area.

Meanwhile, McDonald said, about 300 persons had assembled at around 6:50 am when Bynoe arrived and they set off, even though he was warned by the police not to proceed with the march.

"We monitored the march because of a number of reasons... and the marchers continued along the road and they turned off by BV [Beterverwagting] and proceeded onto a point on the railway embankment and Sheriff Street," McDonald said.

According to him, they received reports that during the march along the East Coast persons were robbed and there were also unconfirmed reports that a band of brigands was patrolling the area in the vicinity of Coldingen and Bachelor's Adventure pouncing on unsuspecting and innocent persons.

The commissioner acknowledged that his force "is stretched out" but even with their limited resources they were able to "contain the situation."

Soon after the marchers' arrival at Sheriff Street, McDonald said, another warning was given to Bynoe "and he was kind enough to tell the officer that he was already warned."

He said ranks noted that there were two vehicles registered to the Linden Power Company following the procession and he wondered what the company had to do with the protest. Bynoe is affiliated with the company.

According to the acting commissioner, the marchers broke up giving the impression that there was disunity among them. But they regrouped at Peter Rose Street and from there, some went north and others headed, "based on our suspicion to the Square of the Revolution but they eventually went to the Office of the President (OP)." Stabroek News understands that the New Garden Street gate of OP was closed, but not locked. When the protesters rocked it, the padlock, which was open, fell off. Reports said that Sergeant Lewis had bent down to retrieve the padlock when he was attacked and injured.

McDonald made no mention of the marchers from the East Coast being joined by others in the vicinity of Queenstown and Alberttown. Stabroek News understands that the second group, which marched along Lamaha Street to Main Street, moved off from the Square of the Revolution and PNC/R members were seen in that second group.

Stormed

Continuing his description of the day's events, McDonald said that at OP, "a number of things took place there, people stormed that office, the highest institution in the land and despite the urging of the police ranks stationed there for them to desist from that behaviour they entered the area, injured two or three policemen, entered the building, damaged equipment, committed robberies and during that process two were fatally shot, eight received gunshot wounds and 17 were arrested in the building."

He said that after the incident, the police responded by sending reinforcements and cordoning off that section of OP and they initiated a number of patrols on the road. He said that the marchers eventually overturned a car and set it afire at the corner of Regent and New Garden streets. It was disclosed that when the fire service responded with a small vehicle, a fireman was soundly beaten, the wheels of his vehicle punctured and the police were forced to go to his rescue.

Some of the marchers then proceeded to the car park robbing people and creating mayhem and later set a fire that burnt two stores on Regent Street. "The fire service eventually went to the scene under police protection and that fire was extinguished," he said.

According to him, policemen who also suffered at the hands of the bandits, who called themselves politicians, and he gave one example of a policeman being beaten with a baseball bat and robbed of $18,000. He was in uniform and according to McDonald, "luckily he was not armed." He said that two other ranks patrolling in Regent Street received injuries.

Later in the evening attempts were made to set the Courts building on Regent Street and Caribbean Chemicals on Croal Street afire but the blazes were quickly out. He said that the police were forced to get people off the road because of their suspicions that those gangs wanted to cause mayhem in the city. The force has concluded that the marchers visited the city to rob and plunder and not to protest.

Speaking on the dismantling of the tent erected by persons a few weeks ago on Main Street and used as a vigil site by bauxite workers, McDonald said that over 200 persons were gathered there on Wednesday and threatened persons staying at a hotel. Ranks went to the area and removed the persons, but a few remained there and continued their threats, one of which was to burn the hotel down. "At that stage the police couldn't sit idly by so we moved in, dismantled the tent and all the equipment were seized and lodged at the police station."

"We are very concerned about the activities of those persons yesterday (Wednesday) and we will not allow them to do what they like in this city or any other part of the country, because the country belongs to all Guyanese and no one group should think that they have the right to inconvenience anyone in this society," he said.

He said that there was adequate security at all the hotels and the police were continuing their security arrangements to ensure that there was no disruption of the present events.

Meanwhile, the force has refused requests by the PNC/R to hold protests around the city over the weekend