Democracy in action?

Malawians protested against the President Wednesday (7/20) in the 3 major cities – Lilongwe, Blantyre, and Mzuzu. From what I understand, this is what happened (or you can google it) though I am incredibly skeptical of everything I have heard, including the sensationalized and underplayed.

Smoke from burning tire blockades, as seen from the guest house.

It was intended to be a peaceful demonstration criticizing recent power plays by the President/administration, the complete lack of fuel (and foreign currency to buy it), poor economic policies, the absence of medicines at the hospitals, etc. The night before the demonstration, the courts put in place an injunction banning demonstrations. I awoke that morning to sirens blaring around the city. The riot police were out in full force that morning arresting people in the streets and anyone wearing red (the color of the opposition). Later that morning and throughout the day, we could hear jeering and gun shots from the guesthouse, and there was smoke in the air from where people were burning the police’s tire barricades. We heard through the grapevine that the police were using tear gas, were beating people and many bystanders were getting hit by stray bullets. People were burning down police officers’ houses in retaliation. The violence lasted until yesterday when the army moved in.

Needless to say, I stayed at the guesthouse. I’m safe! Don’t worry!!

What is interesting is that the people protesting were exercising their constitutional right to peacefully demonstrate. The President, however, compared these actions to those of Satan and declared that he had the power vested in him by the Constitution to maintain peace in the country, which apparently means squashing dissenters. Every Malawian I have spoken to seems really frustrated by the state of things in this country and the direction it is going in. People took a stand and it seems like some news outlets actually picked up on it, perhaps the government will be held more accountable.