"The provincial government of Luanda has indeed accused, in its administrative records, correspondence from entities that intend to exercise the constitutional right to demonstrate", the GPL's media office replied to Lusa.
At issue is the announcement of a national demonstration, scheduled for Saturday, to protest against the rise in fuel prices, the end of street vending and the proposed law on non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
According to the GPL, "the files have already been dispatched", and "the administrative part is done".
"We are waiting for the collection of these dispatches by the signatories, who, having been contacted by our services, have not yet been here to receive them, but we will continue to wait", underlined the same source, without advancing what were the responses, when the documents were issued, dispatches and when the interested party was notified.
Regarding the demonstration scheduled for Saturday across the country, the spokesman for the National Police of Luanda, Nestor Goubel, said that no special device is being prepared for the capital, stressing that the police are always ready for any situation.
The issues, above all the increase in gasoline prices due to the partial withdrawal of fuel subsidies, have sparked, in recent days, protests and clashes with the police in several provinces, which resulted in at least five deaths and dozens of injuries and arrests.
A manifesto that is being disseminated on the Facebook social network page of the civic organization Mudei appeals to "social solidarity" and citizenship in the form of collective actions to combat the "injustices" that they consider to be affecting various classes.
"The 'zungueiras' [street vendors] are prevented from 'zungaring', taxi drivers have not received the announced exemption from the increase in the price of gasoline (which will have an effect on the lives of all of us), teachers and doctors still do not have an answer to their demands for many years, media professionals suffer censorship and other types of pressure", the manifesto reads.
"Workers will be prevented from exercising their right to strike and even the police and law enforcement officers receive orders that put them between the sword and the wall, forced to violate their oath to defend legality and democracy, for fear of lose their jobs," the document adds.
The note highlights the "humanitarian crisis on a national scale" pointing to the "omission" of the Angolan State "which resorts to repression and the explicit violation of fundamental rights when citizen voices are heard".
At stake is also the new regulation of NGOs, which "in addition to being unconstitutional, will repress, asphyxiate and eventually extinguish the multiple civic organizations that, in Angola, work where the executive resigns from his responsibilities and obligations", he says.
"In the absence of a State, let us be society: we are going to fight for all and for all, in the streets, with horns, with posters, with music, with peace, but firm in the defense of our rights", calls for the manifesto.
The appeal has also been publicized by the activist Gangsta, who has been actively sharing the call on his social networks, asking for everyone's involvement.
Dito Dali is another of the well-known activists who shared the "general call" poster that talks about "32 million Angolans on the street" to "stop the abuses of João Lourenço".
The manifesto on the national demonstration of June 17th is signed by 16 civic organizations across the country and by 46 activists and members of civil society.
According to the organization, at least 13 provinces will join the protests.
