No police permission for MSJ motorcade, leg two

MSJ political leader David Abdulah.
MSJ political leader David Abdulah.

Despite not having received police permission for the second leg of its motorcade from San Fernando to Port of Spain yesterday, Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) political leader David Abdulah has vowed that the motorcade against social injustice and mass retrenchment of workers will take place in the near future.

The MSJ had scheduled a two-day motorcade through fenceline communities directly affected by Petrotrin’s closure and the retrenchment of approximately 5,000 workers.

While Sunday’s leg proceeded smoothly, yesterday’s had to be postponed owing to the lack of police permission.

Addressing an impromptu media conference yesterday in the yard of the OWTU’s Paramount Building headquarters, Abdulah said the action was being done on United Nations' Human Rights Day.

“We are here today for what was supposed to be the start of day two of our national motorcade for justice in TT.

"Yesterday we began that motorcade at the Dunlop roundabout in Point Fortin and we traversed a large part of south Trinidad, and we had a very successful motorcade, with well over 100 members, more than 40-50 cars.

“Today was supposed to be day two, and it is very sad to say that on the United Nations Day of Human Rights, our right to peaceful protest has been denied by the police.”

He said that the previous day, "the police co-operated with us fantastically," escorting ther motorcade and assisting with traffic management, and therefore the MSJ haad expected the same yesterday.

But instead the deputy commissioner of police "informed me that approval and permission has not been given to our motorcade today.”

He said the DCP said he had not received any letter from the MSJ asking for approval.

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"No police permission for MSJ motorcade, leg two"

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