Zimbabwe arrests Opposition Leader

Globe and Mail (Toronto) ^ | June 3, 2003 | Karen McGregor

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Harare - Antigovernment protests in Zimbabwe degenerated into chaos and bloodshed yesterday. Three people were wounded by gunfire and hundreds beaten as riot police, soldiers and militias of the ruling ZANU-PF party carried out earlier threats to use "the full wrath of the law" to crush a planned week of action.

A gathering downtown of supporters of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change was disrupted by police firing tear gas who kicked and beat dozens with batons and whips.

ZANU-PF militiamen chased MDC supporters in a melée that spilled onto the steps of a posh hotel on Africa Unity Square. "Some militias entered yelling, 'We've come to get the British,'5" a manager said. They punched a security guard before being forced out.

Three people were shot when police fired live rounds into the air to break up a large group preparing to march in the poor Highfield neighbourhood.

The MDC has called on President Robert Mugabe to resign amid an economic crisis resulting in soaring inflation, record unemployment and shortages of food, fuel and foreign currency.

At the University of Zimbabwe, hundreds of students gathered to march into the city and threw stones at police and soldiers who arrived in force and sealed the campus before using tear gas and batons to disperse them.

"We ran away and were chased," one medical student said. "The police were after the ringleaders and shouted at the rest of us to go."

Police rounded up students who sought refuge in residences and could be seen kicking and using their batons against more than 40 students they forced to crawl on the ground or jog shirtless on the spot.

Police also beat and dispersed protesters in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second-largest city.

With many businesses closed in support of the protests, Harare turned into a militarized ghost city, patrolled by riot police and soldiers in armoured vehicles fitted with guns and water cannons, with helicopters overhead and roadblocks on the main arteries. In all, at least 150 people were arrested, mostly opposition members and supporters.

Roads around the President's official residence were closed, and most people stayed home, either to back the protests or because they were too scared to go out.

Not as many people avoided the workplace in other cities, and the government described the protests as a flop. State television said it was "business as usual" across the country.

The state broadcaster also warned last night that businesses that remained closed would have their licences or work permits revoked. On Sunday, it threatened that demonstrations and strikes would face "the full wrath of the law."

Instead of heavy traffic, empty streets were strewn with ZANU-PF pamphlets declaring "No to mass action, no to violence, no to British puppets, no to Rhodesian sellouts, no to the MDC ? enough is enough."

MDC president Morgan Tsvangirai was arrested early yesterday but later released, as was the MDC mayor of Bulawayo. The party reported seven other MPs arrested and several of those still in jail, along with other top officials. Several of its leaders are in hiding.

The arrest of Mr. Tsvangirai, for defying what he called a flawed court order the government obtained to bar the mass action, dealt a blow to the opposition before the marches he had vowed to lead. He was held and charged with contempt of court for planning an illegal demonstration.

The MDC has a great deal riding on this week's action. If it succeeds, analysts believe, Mr. Mugabe will come under pressure to leave soon. If the protests fail, a buoyed government could reject the opposition's demand for talks aimed at achieving new elections.

Last night MDC secretary-general Welshman Ncube, himself briefly arrested, called for more demonstrations. "What is left is for the people to press on for the next four days with the complete stay-away from work and massive demonstrations," he said. "People must all remain resolute. The end is in sight."

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