Cops, protestors clash over Benschop's arrest
Fires lit along Camp Street

By Oscar P. Clarke
Stabroek News
March 14, 2001


Battles between police and supporters of controversial television talk-show host Mark Benschop erupted in the city last night following his forced removal and arrest outside the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) yesterday.

Police in riot gear erected barricades at several intersections leading to the Brickdam Station and formed human walls behind them to prevent entry to the station.

This resulted in fires being started at various points in the city with members of the Guyana Fire Service rushing to several areas to douse them.

Members of Target Special Force were forced to fire shots in the air at the Camp and Croal streets intersection to disperse crowds of people who were preventing fire officers from putting out fires at utility poles in the vicinity.

Business places in the immediate area, including Camp Site, shut down as police were deployed to clear persons off the streets. Police, in their struggle to restore order, used loud hailers to order that persons disperse and go home. By last night, police had extended their cordons to several parts of the city and seemed to have the situation under control.

Benschop's lawyer, Nigel Hughes accompanied by Benschop's wife, arrived at the Brickdam station at 6:23 pm to attempt to secure bail, but left about 25 minutes later having being denied the right to see his client.



Stabroek News later spoke to Hughes who stated that Benschop had been charged with provoking the peace and inciting and had been ordered detained until he appears in court today. He said he had attempted to have him see a doctor for an injury to his arm, but was told that a doctor had already attended to him.

Earlier, at about 1:30 pm, Hughes said, he was about to secure his client's release when a directive was given that the television host be locked up. On that occasion, he stated, the police had admitted that Benschop did say in a programme yesterday morning that persons should go to the commission and peacefully protest their inability to obtain their national identification cards.

Hughes was subsequently able to obtain a writ of habeas corpus signed by Justice Claudette La Bennett directing that the police produce Benschop by 1:30 pm today. He further stated that he would be filing a constitutional motion this morning on his client's behalf.

Following Benschop's arrest and imprisonment at the Brickdam lock-ups a gathering in excess of 100 persons assembled on the periphery of the Brickdam lock-ups calling for his release. They chanted slogans including "Laurie must go" (referring to Commissioner Laurie Lewis) and "We want Mark".

As dusk approached, barricades were taken to the area and more police deployed to the scene. Officers asked that the people retreat behind the barriers.

The deployed ranks subsequently charged the crowd and up to five persons were held, thrown into a waiting vehicle and taken into the station. The police retreated briefly, while others donned riot gear and arms and charged the remaining persons leading to a pelting assault. This resulted in at least two policemen sustaining injuries.

Three overseas observers from the Guyana Long-Term Observer Group, in the country to monitor the March 19 polls, who had visited the scene earlier and spoken with the controversial television host from the roadway in front of the cells, returned and witnessed the police action. They made another unsuccessful attempt to see Benschop.

Attempts earlier by prominent religious leader, Bishop Juan Edgehill to speak to the gathering, were futile as he was verbally abused by segments of the crowd.

Pockets of persons could be seen up to late last evening engaging the police in verbal confrontations.

Benschop had been apprehended shortly after 11:30 am, when he arrived at the commission's Kingston location to spearhead the protest. Reports say that the talk-show host had just emerged from the eastern half of Cowan Street when he was accosted by uniformed officers, who dragged him bodily into a patrol vehicle, but not before dealing him several blows and kicks. This was evident on Capitol News footage of the arrest seen by Stabroek News.

Contacted by Stabroek News yesterday on Benschop's arrest, the Police Public Relations Officer stated that "necessary force" was used once a person resisted arrest. He said this may have been applied in Benschop's case.

Benschop had used his nightly television programme on Monday to call on persons who had not received their ID cards to take their grievances to the commission's offices and demand a solution. Police had cordoned off streets leading to the commission's Kingston offices as a precaution. The roads were blocked at Lamaha and Main streets, High and Barrack streets, and the eastern and western sides of Cowan Street at the corner of Fort and Duke streets.

Most of the crowd, numbering approximately 200, stated that they had gone to the commission's offices to seek answers on the delays in obtaining their ID cards and reasons why their names were not on the official list of electors, despite registering.

Security at the commission was noticeably beefed up with several guards on the outside of the Kingston complex.

The protesters declined to speak to several sections of the media including Stabroek News.