KAMPALA – The FDC offices in Najjanakumbi on Entebbe Road on Wednesday, November 6, 2019, were a scene of violent confrontation as police blocked members of the opposition party’s female wing who wanted to march to Parliament to petition the Speaker over rising cases of brutality against opposition politicians.
The members of the FDC Women’s League, numbering about 30 had gathered at the party headquarters as they planned to walk to Parliament to express displeasure over the police’s violent arrest of Dr Kizza Besigye on Monday.
Among the women was Anna Adeke, the national youth female MP, FDC Women League Chairperson Farida Nangozi, Deputy Education Minister Plan Mugyenyi and Internal Affairs Minister Ingrid Turinawe.
They also carried placards reading ‘Mothers of the Nation, Article 3; Twerwaneko’. They also started singing several liberation songs as they prepared to start their march.
“Before you are women. No man will join this protest. This is a mothers’ fight, to show the country how we are not happy with the way police and the army have been brutally arresting and beating our children and husbands,” Ms Adeke said.
But before they stepped out of the gate, police officers pounced on the women, leading to a scuffle that lasted several minutes. Police then used teargas to block the protesters. Some elderly women faionted in the process. Some women were arrested in the process. The women were ordered back to the offices, with no one allowed to come in or leave. Even Leader of the Opposition Betty Aol Acan was also blocked from accessing the office.
By press time, police was still stationed at the FDC offices.
