Police Fire Tear Gas At Protesters As Demonstrations Continue For A Third Day
As Parliamentarians sat in the House of Representatives on Wednesday afternoon, there was a heavy line of police officers outside the Red House building, as protests continued in the capital city for a third day.
Residents from East Port of Spain marched across Nelson Street en route to the Parliament building, armed with placards bearing messages such as “Hands up don’t shoot” and “Stop Killing Us”.
They were stopped and dispersed by the team of officers, however, who fired tear gas at them before they could get to the Parliament.
There was also a heavy presence of officers at Pioneer Drive, Sea Lots earlier on Wednesday where a group of protestors assembled, carrying placards. (See in video below)
Several businesses in downtown Port of Spain were forced to close early.
Wednesday was the third day of residents taking to the streets to call for justice after three men-Israel Clinton, Joel Jacob and Noel Diamond- were killed by Inter Agency Task Force and Guard and Emergency Branch officers at Juman Avenue on Saturday.
At a press conference on Wednesday morning, Police Commissioner Gary Griffith said his officers would stand ready to dismantle any crowd of protesters, reiterating his position that the demonstrations are being used as front by “criminal elements” who he says using the men’s killings to drive their own agenda.
The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service remains on a Red Alert.