Durban High Court hears police bid to restrict March and March protests
The application seeks to restrain the March and March movement and its leaders from marching and from assaulting or intimidating public officials and members of the public.
The Durban High Court has been presented with an urgent application by the Minister of Police and the KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner, who argue that they are being outnumbered during large crowds during repeated March and March demonstrations. The applicants seek pre-emptive action to prevent further violence and lawlessness, stating that reactive policing has become ineffective.
Judge Peter Olsen questioned why police did not disarm protesters and arrest those carrying weapons, remarking that being armed during such a gathering was an offence. The applicants argue that participants carry weapons and engage in violence, placing them outside the protection of section 17 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to assemble peacefully and unarmed.
The court has set the matter down for Govender to take instructions on the issue of permanent relief after the interim order.
Brief written by urgent.news from IOL's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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