Monday, September 26, 2011

Honoring Nkrumah: Ghanaian Revolutionaries Continue to Fight for the Total Liberation of Africa

Ghanaian Revolutionaries continue to fight for the Total Liberation of Africa

2011/09/25
From: Mathaba

Ghana is the only country where citizens have taken to the streets to defend Libya *and* been arrested by the forces of dictatorial authority. Photo: The All-African People’s Revolutionary Party and Hands Off Libya coalition demonstrating against NATO and in support of Muammar Qathafi and the Libyan Jamahiriya.

The All-African People’s Revolutionary Party (A-APRP) has been involved in active revolutionary relations with the Libyan Jamahiriya for more than 40 years. It has defended and supported Libya in the past when imperialists have attacked the country and now has intensified their work against the NATO imperialists bombing and the illegal military invasion in Libya.

Among with the "U.S./NATO Hands Off Libya! Hands Off Africa!" coalition, which consists of revolutionary and progressive African organizations in Ghana, the A-APRP has been demonstrating on September 21 against the U.S./NATO attack on Libya and Africa and in support of Muammar Qathafi and the Libyan Jamahiriya to win the war against the crusaders.

Below is a video of a rally chant before the protesters marched from Nkrumah Circle to the U.S. Embassy on September 21 which was the 102nd birthday of Ghana’s first president, anti-colonial fighter and third Chairman of the Organization of African Unity Osageyfo Kwame Nkrumah:

Prior to the demonstration the A-APRP and the Hands Off Libya coalition have stated:

The Libyan masses own and control their resources! Ninety percent of all oil revenues in Libya are used to meet the needs of the masses. Every month $500 dollars of the nation’s revenues go directly into every Libyans bank account. When marrying, Libyan couples receive 60,000 dinars (about $50,000 US dollars) to begin their married life and start their family. Libyans have free education, free health care, free electricity, free water, and every citizen receives a free house. Tens of thousands of Ghanaians and Africans have gone to Libya for work and have sent remittances to their families to raise their living conditions. Libya contributed $300 million to buy a satellite for Africa improve its telecommunications system and was preparing to contribute $32 billion to establish an African Monetary Fund, to replace the dictatorial US and EU controlled International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB). This $32 billion will be under the control of the African Union, which will end European imperialist economic control over African governments, to create political space for Africa to Unify under a continental government. Libya has demonstrated a commitment to African Unity.

Ghanaians and all Africans must stand with Libya in the spirit of Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah on 21st September 2011, Osagyefo’s 102nd birthday; and march on the U.S. embassy!

In support of Muammar Qathafi and the Libyan Jamahiriya the demonstrators have declared:

Muammar Qathafi, a great African Leader and Revolutionary, led the Libyan masses to forcibly remove the puppet of imperialism, King Idriss, from power and eliminated the US, British, and Italian, military bases from Libyan/African soil. He led the masses to take control of Libya’s rich oil resources, which were being robbed by US, UK, and Italian companies like, Occidental, Mobile, British Petroleum, and ENI. Qathafi wrote The Green Book and the Third Universal Theory to develop an ideology which guides the Libyan people and serves as an example for Africans and people of the world to create a just and righteous society based on right principles and independent thinking from their culture and history.

This is similar to Nkrumah writing his book, Consciencism; philosophy and ideology for decolonization, in which Nkrumah stated: “practice without thought is blind, thought without practice is empty.”

During their peaceful demonstration 25 protesters were arrested by Ghana authorities which have already allied themselves with the racists and terrorists in Libya. A team of police personnel from the Greater Accra Regional Police Command met them and showed a Prohibition Order from an Accra Circuit Court prohibiting the demonstration and asked them to stop.

The demonstrators refused to acknowledge the order and instead continued their peaceful demonstration against the illegal war on Libya. This made the police call for reinforcement leading to the arrest of the 25 people, who were accused of "acts that tend to disrupt the peace of the nation".

After the unjust arrest of the protesters, the A-APRP published a press release saying:

Today (September 21st) on Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah’s birthday celebration a great tragedy has occurred in Ghana. The U.S./NATO Hands Off Libya! Hands Off Africa! Coalition marched from Kwame Nkrumah Circle to the U.S. Embassy to demonstrate against the illegal, immoral U.S./NATO invasion and for victory of Qaddafi and the Libyan masses.

At approximately 11am GMT several members of the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party ... were detained and arrested for marching to stop the illegal, immoral occupation of Libya!

The memory of Kwame Nkrumah is tainted today by the actions of the police force of Ghana instructed by the U.S. Embassy. What justification does the U.S. Embassy have for orchestrating the arrest of these Africans who were participating in a peaceful march that will benefit Africa and Ghana? Although the Ghanaian government is supporting the NATO invasion, the majority of Ghanaian citizens fully support the people of Libya and are among many African voices that are calling for the immediate halt of this invasion.

The 25 peaceful protesters have been illegally held in police custody for over 24 hours before they were released on Thursday.

After their release the A-APRP vowed to continue fighting against the Western imperialism:

The A-APRP would like to extend Revolutionary Thanks to everyone who helped with the release of our comrades in Ghana. We understand that organization decides everything. There is no better example then this example! Forward to Pan-Africanis: The Total Liberation and Unification of Africa under scientific socialism!

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