The Liberia National Students Union, LINSU, has condemned the recent wave of police brutality against students at the University of Liberia.
In a press statement, LINSU, through its president, James Washington, emphasised that the hostile action of the police against harmless and armless students at the University of Liberia undermines academic freedom and disrupts the learning environment. “As direct representation of the students in Liberia, we are calling on the LNP to respect the grounds of learning institutions in Liberia as spaces for intellectual growth and peaceful engagement,” Mr. Washington stated.
On November 18, 2024, violence erupted between some students at the University of Liberia campus-based Student Unification Party, SUP, and officers of the LNP at a student protest on Capitol Hill. The protesting students were gathered at different points in Monrovia to demand the administration and the government to unconditionally reopen the university, but they (students) were forcefully resisted by the police after they tried to impede pedestrian and vehicular movement by mounting roadblocks at the institution’s Capitol Hill campus and other parts of the city. Several students were arrested during the altercation, including the Secretary General of the Student Unification Party.
Mr. Washington noted that though the Liberia National Students Union does not support students’ unruly behaviour, the police and other state securities need to respect the students’ right to assemble, adding that as the mother body of students in Liberia, it (LINSU) will not tolerate the unwarranted use of force by the state against the students. “We are urging the LNP to act within the confines of the law when addressing security matters on school campuses or dealing with students’ related matters across the country; because LINSU has a broader mission to protect student interests, promote academic freedom, and foster a collaborative relationship between students and national social institutions in Liberia, and we will not TOLERATE/ENDURE any act from anyone/LNP that violates the rights of students and young people in the country—this, we must REGISTER now!” the statement added.
The national students’ organization called on state security to refrain from unleashing terror on students, as such actions have the proclivity to undermine the fragile peace of Liberia. “The LNP MUST, with immediate effect, stop what LINSU describes as unwarranted muggings of the University of Liberia (UL) campuses and students,” Mr. Washington averred.
