Published: July 17, 2025
MONROVIA – The Liberia National Police (LNP) on Thursday morning unspooled coils of barbed wire across the entrance of Capitol Hill, effectively sealing off the main access route to the seat of the national legislature. The razor-edged barricade is flanked by heavily armed officers.
The Liberian Investigator was on the scene early Thursday as security forces began reinforcing the blockade with riot-control units and armored patrols. Eyewitnesses described the moment as “tense and intimidating,” with many Capitol staff and passersby forced to reroute.
The police have outlined a specific protest route, starting from City Hall along Tubman Boulevard, passing the University of Liberia, and ending at the road leading to LNP Headquarters. Roads leading to the Executive Mansion and Capitol Building, as well as Buzzy Quarter, have been declared off-limits. Violators, particularly motorcyclists, face immediate arrest and impounding of their bikes.
STAND Protest Gains Momentum
Organized by the civic pressure group Solidarity of Trust for a New Day (STAND), the July 17 protest was promised by its organizers to draw thousands in what they believe would be the most visible public resistance to the Boakai government since it took office in January 2024.
In a joint press engagement on July 14, both the Ministry of Justice and the LNP had conditionally approved the demonstration, urging organizers to “respect the rule of law and maintain order.” Inspector General of Police Col. Gregory Coleman emphasized that while peaceful assembly is a constitutional right, any provocation or violence would not be tolerated.
STAND, led by ex-CDC Chairman Mulbah Morlu, has promised that the three-day protest (July 15–17) will be peaceful. The group’s ten-point resolution demands sweeping reforms, including the prosecution of corrupt officials, restoration of constitutional tenure protections, and economic redress for evicted communities.
“This is not about chaos,” Morlu told supporters in a previous rally. “This is about accountability and awakening national conscience.”
Police Crackdown Faces Public Scrutiny
While the police have accused Morlu of inciting unrest, many citizens remain sharply divided over the protest’s merits—and the government’s response. Interviews conducted by The Liberian Investigator across Monrovia, particularly in Paynesville’s Red Light area, revealed a population grappling with economic hardship but uncertain about protest as a solution.
“I’m a Unity Party supporter, but this government is failing,” said James S. Siaffa, a money exchanger. “Protest is a right when things are not going right.”
Others, like Lutheran massacre survivor Roseline Duo Philip, oppose the protest entirely.
“I’ve seen what conflict does,” she said with visible emotion. “We can’t risk chaos again.”
Still, the show of force from the police has prompted criticism of heavy-handedness. Market women, motorcyclists, and mechanics voiced frustrations over routine police harassment, arbitrary seizures of goods, and unfulfilled economic promises from the Boakai-led Unity Party.
“They [the police] are more concerned about collecting money than protecting us,” said Mary Kollie, a clothing vendor in Red Light. “Now they’re using barbed wire against peaceful protestors?”
CDC Youth League Adds Fuel to the Fire
In a fiery rally on July 11 in West Point, the CDC’s Youth League threw its full support behind the protest. Youth League Chair Emmanuel M. Johnson labeled the Boakai regime a “creeping dictatorship,” accusing it of using cosmetic suspensions to shield corruption and neglecting the plight of ordinary Liberians.
“We won’t inherit a broken nation without resistance,” Johnson declared. “This is not politics—it’s survival.”
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