The Gambians Against Looted Assets (GALA) has condemned the Gambia Police Force’s decision to deny their request for a protest permit and vowed to proceed with a demonstration on Thursday, May 8, regardless.
In a strongly worded statement, GALA announced that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) rejected their permit application without providing any reason, labeling the move an attempt to “censor” and “deny fundamental human rights” to peaceful protest.
GALA described the police’s action as “an affront on the Gambian people” and an insult to their fight against corruption, which they claim involves “the biggest heist since independence.” The group expressed outrage over the IGP’s refusal, noting that the rejection letter failed to justify the decision. “We condemn the IGP’s blatant denial of our right to protest, and we will take none of it,” GALA stated, urging citizens to join them in opposing the police’s “unlawful behavior.”
The planned protest, set to take place on Thursday from 11:00 to 13:00 GMT, will see demonstrators march from the National Assembly building to the Attorney General’s Chambers in Banjul, clad in national colors to protest impunity and demand accountability for looted public assets. GALA called on Gambians to turn out in thousands, asserting, “The police cannot stop us from exercising our rights.”
The denial follows a screening session on May 6 at the Gambia Police Force’s Interpol Office, where GALA representatives faced questions about the protest’s motive and unspecified security concerns. Despite assurances from the police to advise the IGP, the outright rejection has escalated tensions. GALA’s defiance signals a growing rift between civic groups and authorities over the right to assembly, a constitutionally guaranteed freedom.
As Banjul braces for the demonstration, the police’s silence on the permit denial has drawn scrutiny, with critics arguing it undermines democratic principles. The protest’s outcome could test the Gambia Police Force’s commitment to upholding civic rights amid public demands for transparency.
GALA’s resolve to march, permit or not, sets the stage for a critical showdown over freedom and accountability in The Gambia.
