Scores of residents at Obuasi in the Ashanti Region have embarked on a mass demonstration on the lines of the viral #FixTheCountry social media campaign.

The angry residents are registering their discontent with the ailing conditions in the country.

They took to the streets clad in red attire wielding placards and banners to drum home their demands.

They lamented the high cost of living, high rate of youth unemployment and particularly the worsening situations in the Obuasi municipality.

The aggrieved campaigners also want Anglo Gold Ashanti to release abandoned concessions to residents as a source of livelihood.

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The hashtag earlier this year was used to call on the government to attend to problems facing the country including the hike in fuel prices, poor education, health, infrastructure and ultimately the country’s economy.

The online protest backed mainly by the youth has been trending for the past weeks on the micro-blogging platform Twitter.

Watch the video above:

The meeting is planned for Monday, November 22, 2021 at the Greater Accra Regional Police Headquarters.

In a letter signed by the Deputy Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP E.A Sakyi, the Police explained that the meeting is for further deliberations to ensure a peaceful demonstration.

The response from the Police came a few hours after convenors of the movement issued a statement indicating that they have notified the law enforcement agency about their intentions to hit the street.

According to leaders of the social advocacy group, certain aspects of the Budget are inherently “ridiculous”, hence their decision to protest.

They further said the 2022 Budget smacks of “purposeful deceit” and “the absence of truth and genuine accountability”, a situation the convenors say they will not tolerate.

They are, therefore, imploring the 275 Members of Parliament to outrightly reject the 2022 Budget estimates, which were tabled before Parliament on November 17.

“The protest is to register our displeasure at the ridiculous proposals of the 2022 Budget and demand Parliament not to approve the Budget in its current form,” the statement said.

The protest is expected to begin from the Tema Station in Accra, near the National Hockey Stadium, after which the protesters will head to the precincts of the Parliament House.

Below is the letter from the police:

The march, which started from the Obra Spot at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra, was a peaceful march.

However, events took a different turn when the protesters got to Independence Square.

The camera of Adomonline.com captured livid protesters sacking some journalists from covering the event.

Some angry protesters were seen chasing the media crew. They ordered them to leave the premises and threw objects at them.

Amidst the tension, some persons, believed to be part of the organisers, tried to calm them.

The reason behind their action was unclear.

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The conveners have demanded from the government, development and accountability, adding that, the standard of lives of Ghanaians must be taken into full consideration.

Watch the video attached for more:

As of 6:00am, some participants had already stormed the ‘Obra Spot’ near the Kwame Nkrumah interchange to commence the march which was climaxed at the Black Star Square in Accra.

Below are some of the photos that were captured by Adomonline.com‘s Gershon Mortey:

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Adom TV’s camera has captured an elderly woman and young man weep uncontrollably as they express dissatisfaction with the current state of the economy.

Clad in red attire and headscarf, the young man sat on the floor with other protesters, who were saddened by his actions.

The elderly woman on the other hand was held by a group of women who tried to console her.

All attempts to console them proved futile as they lament hardships they are faced with.

The demonstration garnered momentum both on grounds and on the digital space, Twitter, where many continued to vent their spleen – calling for policies that will better the country.

The conveners have demanded from the government, development, and accountability, adding that, the standard of lives of Ghanaians must be taken into full consideration.

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The protesters wielded placards that had inscriptions such as I may not return home alive from this demo and if I don’t mama, remember I died fighting for the betterment of the next generation, stop the corruption in the judiciary, wake up sleepy old President, fix our education system now, among others.

According to the IGP, the personnel must respect the rights of the citizens to demonstrate as they supervise the exercise.

He made the remarks on Wednesday morning at the Accra Regional headquarters during a short briefing before the deployment.

These pre-protest briefings are often done by the Regional Commander, but COP Dampare decided to speak to his officers to empower them.

He cautioned that the actions of the personnel will be evaluated at the end of the demonstration.

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This comes after COP Dampare, in a meeting on Tuesday, assured the #FixTheCountry campaigners of maximum security protection.

The #FixTheCountry protest started at the Obra Spot at Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra with protesters marching through the principal streets of Accra.

The protest is to mount pressure on the government to address the numerous challenges that the country is faced with.

The fix the country campaigners have in the last few months agitated on social media demanding that government addresses challenges that have for years bedeviled the nation.

They took to the streets clad in red attire coupled with their Ghana flags, wielding placards and banners to drum home their demands.

Some placards had inscriptions such as I may not return home alive from this demo and if I don’t mama, remember I died fighting for the betterment of the next generation, stop the corruption in the judiciary, wake up sleepy old President, fix our education system now, among others.

The hashtag has been used to call on the government to attend to problems facing the country including the hike in fuel prices, poor education, health, infrastructure and ultimately the country’s economy.

The online protest backed mainly by the youth has been trending for the past weeks on the micro-blogging platform Twitter, a situation which sparked a national conversation leading to the demonstration.

The planned protest was in limbo after the police indicated that it could not provide security due to the COVID-19 pandemic – a development the conveners of ‘FixTheCountry’ described as very disappointing.

However, the organisers, in a statement, said they have finalised processes with the Ghana Police Service.

The protesters are expected to converge at the Obra Spot near the Kwame Nkrumah Circle at 6:30 am with the march to commence at 8:00 am.

They will march through the principal streets of Accra and finally end at Blackstar Square in strict adherence to the covid-19 safety protocols.

“The protest march will go through the Kwame Nkrumah Avenue, to Farisco Traffic Lights. We will then take a left towards TUC, then continue on the road leading past Kinbu Senior High School to join the John Evans Atta Mills High Street.

“We will then proceed to Independence Square, where the Crowd will be addressed and subsequently dispersed. Obra spot (Circle) — Farisco Left — TUC — Kinbu Senior High School – Centre for National Culture – to Independence Square,” part of the statement read.

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Protesters will be assisted by the Police personnel who will be directing the routes of the event to prevent obstruction of pedestrians or vehicular traffic.

“We expect the crowd to start dispersing around 2:00 pm after they have been addressed at the Independence Square,” the statement urged.

Read the full statement below:

Conveners of the then online protest threatened to assemble at the avenue to protest against the hike in fuel prices, poor education, healthcare delivery, bad roads, and the general low standard of living in the country.

However, their protest was marred by a court injunction kicking against the action on the said day “or any other date until the restriction on public gathering is lifted.”

According to the Head of Public Affairs at the Accra Region Police Command, “the restraining order follows an affidavit filed by the police against convenors of TheFixCountry protest march pursuant to Section 1(6) of the Police Order Act, 1994 (491).”

In preparedness to make the injunction active, the Ghana Police Service stormed the independence square with a full ‘batallion’.

In photos circulating on social media, there was heavy police presence at the venue and around to ensure the protest does not generate into a preventable circumstance.

That notwithstanding, the conveners of the protest have issued another , strategy: Noise protest nationwide.