Police crush opposition demonstrations

Armed riot police sealed off streets in downtown Harare on Friday and chased off protesters as opposition officials announced plans to begin demonstrations against the government, AP said on Friday. According to reports there were no immediate reports of arrests.

The main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) was quoted as saying that its youth wing planned demonstrations to protest a breakdown in law and order and police harassment of its members. The MDC said police raided the Harare home of youth leader Nelson Chamisa during the night and assaulted his uncle after Chamisa escaped through a rear door.

News reports added that riot police and troops headed in trucks toward the populous township of Chitungwiza, an opposition stronghold 25 km south of Harare. Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena was quoted as saying that police and soldiers were placed on alert ahead of threats of violence by protesters.

Meanwhile, DPA reported on Friday that the Zimbabwean government allegedly threatened to close down Western embassies which funded opposition parties, accusing them of “subversion”. It said that the warning followed decisions by a number of foreign governments to cut aid to Mugabe’s government and to channel money to civic organisations instead, because of the government’s human rights record.