Court throws out police injunction application against Afrifa Mensah’s anti-galamsey demo
The Accra High Court has dismissed an application by the Ghana Police Service seeking an injunction to block a planned anti-galamsey demonstration organised by the Generational Rights Protection Society (GRPS), led by media personalities Okatakyie Afrifa Mensah and Kwame Appiah Kubi.
The ruling, delivered on Friday, April 25, 2025, clears the way for the protest scheduled for April 28–29, 2025, to proceed as planned.
The Ghana Police Service had filed the application on April 23, 2025, requesting the court to halt the demonstration, citing concerns over public safety and order.
According to an affidavit submitted by General Sergeant Armstrong Ankomah of the Greater Accra Regional Police Headquarters, the organisers failed to respond to a police letter regarding the event and did not secure a permit to use Liberation Square, opposite Jubilee House, which is controlled by the Ghana Armed Forces.
The police argued that allowing the protest at this location could lead to violence, compromise public defense, safety, health, essential services, and the rights of others, particularly in light of regional security tensions.
The planned protest, set to commence at Obra Spot (Kwame Nkrumah Circle), proceed through Ring Road, and conclude at Liberation Square from 4 PM to midnight, aims to pressure the John Dramani Mahama government to take decisive action against illegal small-scale mining, known as galamsey.
Galamsey has caused significant environmental devastation in Ghana, including deforestation, pollution of water bodies like the Pra and Ankobra rivers, and health risks from mercury use.
The issue has also fueled social challenges such as crime and land disputes, with critics arguing that government efforts, including Operation Halt II and a 2021 ban on mining in forest reserves, have been insufficient due to lax enforcement and alleged official complicity.
In their application, the police requested the court to relocate the demonstration away from Jubilee House, the seat of government, and restrict it to between 10 AM and 5 PM on April 28, 2025, to ensure effective policing and public order.
However, the Accra High Court, after reviewing the arguments, dismissed the application, affirming the constitutional right to demonstrate.
The court’s decision was met with approval from the protest organizers, who have consistently maintained that only a court of law could alter their plans.
