Adriana Vaca
09-19-08
Wars and Violence
Last Monday there was a riot in Utembo, Congo at a soccer match, the result of the local police firing warning shots into the air, allegedly to subdue the crowds after a scuffle.
The shots started a panic, in which the crowds rushed for the exits, and trampled 13 people to death, most of whom were young teenagers between 11 and 16. Later in the day, protests against the police were held in the streets.
According to the police who fired the shots, their commander had been hit in the head during the scuffles that broke out when one team accused the other of using witchcraft to win, and were merely trying to calm the crowds down before the situation escalated.
I personally don’t understand how they failed to realize that firing in the middle of large agitated crowds was supposed to have a soothing effect, especially since Butembo is in the Nord-Kivu province, which, as I have discussed before, is the center of an extremely violent rebel movement, and gunfire at a soccer match probably strikes the wrong reaction in people who’ve had to live with the constant threat of imminent attack dangling over their heads.
It’s pretty terrible to think that the police, who are supposed to protect the people, instead only cause more chaos, even if inadvertently.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/09/15/soccer.witchcraft.ap/index.html
1 comment:
I agree with what you said about how the firing could not have a soothing effect. It's outrageous that the police could not handle a situation in a better manner than was expressed here.
It's reminiscent of the riots that occurred during the Vietnam war when officers, attempting to keep some peace at a gathering protesting the Vietnam War, opened fire on completely unarmed college students. It's sad, but if you trust the law and hope they act in the best interest, what else can you do besides take further legal action against them?
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