Maputo, 15 Aug (AIM) – The Mozambican police (PRM) on Sunday tried to block a parade of members and sympathisers of the main opposition party, Renamo, in the municipality of Vilankulo, in the southern province of Inhambane.
The Renamo marchers intended to present to the public their mayoral candidate for Vilankulo in the forthcoming municipal elections, Joaquim Quinito Vilanculo. But during the parade a police vehicle intervened, blocking the path of an open truck, carrying Renamo members.
Later in the day, the police denied that they had intended to block the parade, but were only present along the route to protect the marchers and to guarantee public order. But that is not what it looked like from the videos shot of the event. From this footage, shown on the independent television channel STV, it seemed clear that the police had prevented the Renamo truck from advancing.
But the police were outflanked by dozens of motorbikes carrying Renamo members waving flags. Angry marchers could be heard shouting “Let’s march! Mozambique is ours!”, “Let’s present our mayor, who will be elected on 11 October!”, “You have no shame!”, and “This is a disgrace for Vilankulo!”
Some even appropriated the oldest of Frelimo slogans – “A luta continua!” (“The struggle goes on!”), and some issued veiled threats – “If you provoke us, we shall answer with our hands!”
But eventually calm prevailed, there was no violence, and the police allowed the parade to continue. Police insisted that they had never intended to stop the marchers, and were merely doing their job of protecting the marchers and the public.
(AIM)
Pf/ (272)