By Sue-Ann Wayow
WHILE it is the right of persons to protest, they must do so within the law.
This is according to Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith.
In a press release from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) on Tuesday, Griffith said the Office of the Commissioner of Police not approving applications for protests was furthest from the truth.
Griffith said, “Whether applications are for protest over bad roads, poor facilities, or the mandatory vaccines, persons must apply for approval and give good reasons why they need to protest.”
The top cop said the public must realise that these are not ordinary times given the Covid-19 pandemic and persons who wish to protest must be guided by the regulations which state that no more than five persons will be allowed to carry out the protest action.
He also noted that an application was approved for a march from Morvant to Port-of-Spain two weeks ago, and the persons were kept within the confines of the law.
Griffith said another person made no application, organized a protest and had the faces of the protesters hidden.
However, the leader of the protest showed his face and the TTPS will be calling on that person shortly.
The CoP also has taken note of the protests taking place in several Caribbean countries including St Vincent and the Grenadines where the Prime Minister was injured from a flying stone. The protest came about as countries moved to make it mandatory for citizens to take the vaccines.
Griffith said no such application has been made for a protest over mandatory vaccines in Trinidad and Tobago.
