"What happened is not that they prevented, but intimidated, the national police were on the scene, but all the agents, assigned to the border guard, had weapons in their hands, I have never seen in a political activity, even outside the campaign, the police being armed ", told Lusa Nelito Ekuikui, UNITA's provincial secretary, in Luanda.
According to the politician from the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), the political activity was scheduled for the urban district of Vila Flor, municipality of Viana, one of the most populous in the capital.
At the scene, he reported, the police, "who have no reason to cover campaign activity with weapons in hand, were intimidating" the militants "in a very arrogant tone".
"And because of that, we postponed the activity, because there was clearly an intention of the national police to provoke, so that UNITA militants would react badly and then make the news", he stressed.
"The police cover all political activities and it is normal, in fact all the activities that we have carried out in Luanda, the police cover, and it is normal, but the police have mechanisms to protect a political activity", he said.
Nelito Ekuikui also questioned the motivations of police officers to wield weapons in that activity, since "there were no criminals and delinquents in the place".
"What is it that drives the national police into a political campaign activity with weapons in hand? This was really an act of intimidation, unless there is a better understanding", he shot.
The leader of the "maninhos" in Luanda was also surprised by the presence of firefighters at the scene: "We didn't summon the firefighters and they had an ambulance ready there, I don't know why".
"And you can see that there is no reason to put the border guard police there, because there weren't even many activities to say that the public order police were not available, and you didn't want to talk to anyone, you were arrogant with people", finished Nelito Ekuikui.
On the matter, Lusa contacted the police spokesman, in Luanda, Nestor Goubel, who promised to "find out the facts and react".
Eight political forces, competing in the general elections scheduled for 24 August, are in the second week of the electoral campaign aiming at the fifth vote in Angola's political history.
