The leader, who was speaking on Angolan Public Television (TPA) about the demonstration held on Saturday, promoted by civil society activists with support from the largest Angolan opposition party, UNITA, said that 90 men and 13 women are being held and six policemen were injured.
"Unfortunately, there are leaders of political parties [...] arrested who were in the demonstration," the leader said, indicating that they are linked to UNITA.
According to Salvador Rodrigues, UNITA is the second political force in the country, has its own space in parliament, and has "total freedom to talk, to present the issues" to the authorities.
"We don't understand how party leaders get involved in a demonstration that ends in riot and disrespect to authority, I don't think this behavior is urban," he said.
Salvador Rodrigues said that the authorities still don't know "what motivated these people," which could be clarified this Monday when they are submitted to summary judgment.
"Tomorrow before the court to which they will be submitted we will have more elements to know what motivated them, if it is only disobedience, if it is only disrespect to the authorities," he stressed.
The Secretary of State of the Ministry of the Interior said that there was arson, that means of the public force were burned, underlining that "the force of order was there to enforce the decree.
On Friday, the government issued new measures to combat and prevent covid-19, in a decree on the State of Public Calamity, which among several restrictions, prohibited street gatherings of more than five people.
According to the governor, the forces of order were received with violence, "stoning, burning of tires on the road," having burned a motorcycle of the public force, a car of the firemen, an ambulance that was left with broken glass and a car of the traffic unit.
"And we know that individuals encouraged this behavior of some citizens who, I don't know why, adhered and behaved in a way to face the public force," he said.
Salvador Rodrigues said that the detainees will be present in court because "there was disobedience, arson, riot.
For the ruler it is not "responsible that leaders of political forces, with a seat in parliament, behave like this".
On Friday, the police received assurances from the promoters of the demonstration that it would not take place, in respect to the Presidential Decree, indicated Salvador Rodrigues, calling on the associations and political parties to join the state bodies that have the mission of public security, to coordinate the actions they have to take.
"Today our call is for us all to unite in the fight against this virus, which takes human lives every day, that gatherings do not take place," he said.
Salvador Rodrigues lamented the "never seen behavior of the demonstrators", who were "violent against the public force, which is not normal".
In the demonstration, Nelito Ekuikui, deputy and provincial secretary of UNITA in Luanda, said he was assaulted by the police and estimated that about 40 young people who were participating in the protest have been arrested.
Speaking to Lusa, Nelito Ekui said there was no reason to justify the aggression and said he was detained for about an hour, accusing the authorities of "excessive use of force" and of committing an illegality.
The aggressions against Nelito Ekuikui were confirmed by Adalberto da Costa Júnior, president of UNITA, who regretted that the government is trying to prevent demonstrations because it is "in panic".
"All it took was to get there and the deputy was assaulted by the police with clubs," said the UNITA leader.
The party, in a statement, condemned "the arrest and beating" of protesters by the national police at Saturday's demonstration in Luanda.
"The Executive Secretariat of the Standing Committee of the UNITA Political Commission denounces and condemns the arrest and beating of protesters by the national police, causing chaos in the streets of Luanda, which would be avoidable if the march took place without police brutality," the party expressed in a statement.
Among those arrested were six journalists, three of whom have already been released.
Hours before, the activist Dito Dali, one of the participants in Saturday's demonstration in Luanda, which was violently repressed by the police, told Lusa that there are more than a hundred people arrested and one person will have died during the protest.
Some journalists were assaulted and forced to erase the images relating to the coverage of the demonstration.
Two non-governmental organizations - UFOLO and Friends of Angola - condemned the violence against the demonstrators and demanded the release of the journalists.
