Speaking at Monday’s cabinet meeting, Interior Minister Khaled Mazin said the demonstrations in Martyr Sq led by NGO ‘‘Beltrees Youth Movement’’ had applied for permission and received approval for their demonstration. He stressed that demonstrating peacefully was a right.
He said the organised demonstration went well. There were no injuries or deaths during the demonstrations across Libya. This despite reports of gun shots being fire above demonstrators’ heads in some cities.
The Ministry of Interior said it offered all the protection needed for the demonstrators to practice their right to peaceful protest.
However, Minister Mazin said internal and external spoilers infiltrated the demonstrations and caused all the illegal activities and the burning official buildings. The highest profile of which was the House of Representatives administration building in Tobruk. Buildings were also burnt or damaged to varying degrees in Tarhuna, Sebha, and Garabuli. Demonstrators in Misrata tipped a truckful of soil at the door of their municipality building
Minister Mazin said his Ministry was in the process of conducting its investigations into the demonstration saboteurs.
He thanked the Biltrees Youth Movement for cancelling their second demonstration originally planned for Tuesday to avoid exploitation by spoilers.
Beltrees Youth Movement reiterates its demands
Meanwhile, Beltrees said that ”as a result of the current situation and fear of entering a tunnel of chaos and the return of civil wars, and in view of the attempts of sabotage and chaos by some public money stealing parties, we declare our commitment to the most important objectives of The Friday of The Cry of Youth, which is:
- To accelerate presidential and parliamentary elections
- Authorize the Presidential Council to dissolve all political bodies
- Declare the state of public mobilisation
- Solve the electricity crisis
- Clarify the facts for the people
- Cancel the proposal to lift subsidies on hydrocarbons
- Modify the size and price of the loaf of bread
- The exit of all foreign forces and mercenaries in the east, west and south of the Country
Road blockades
Most of the disorder on Thursday and Friday was in fact caused by the ad hoc road blockades across the country. These involved the setting of fires across main roads, usually second-hand tyres, to disrupt traffic.
In most cases, security forces, be it official police or army, or officially recognized militias, stood by and did not intervene. However, there were some exceptions.
