The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has condemned the violent attack on studios of United Television (UTV) by hooligans, which took place on Saturday, October 7, in Accra.
A statement issued by Mr Sammy Gyamfi, the National Communications Officer of the NDC, copied to the Ghana News Agency said the Party had learned with utter disgust, a dastardly attack that was visited on the studios of UTV.
It said while the station’s prime time entertainment show, ‘United Showbiz’ was ongoing, a group of uncivilized hooligans, who were allegedly belonging to the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) stormed the studios of UTV, disrupted the live programme and proceeded to threaten to assault the host and her guests.
“The NDC condemns this shameful act in no uncertain terms, as there can be no place for such uncivilised and beastly conduct in a democracy,” it said.
The statement said the event sets Ghana’s democracy back and further erodes the nation’s fast dwindling press freedom fortunes as a country.
It said they in the NDC were deeply worried about the level of intolerance of dissenting views in Ghana today under the tyrannical NPP Government.
The statement said the senseless attack the nation witnessed on Saturday, October 7, was clearly goaded by recent antagonistic posturing of high-ups in Government and the NPP towards UTV and its flagship ‘United Showbiz’ programme.
The statement said it was instructive that this attack on UTV was preceded by a letter from the New Patriotic Party’s National Secretariat a few days ago, which sought to brazenly impose an editorial policy on the station.
It said this was followed by threats by leading figures of the NPP to ensure the illegal closure of the station.
The statement said indeed, some of the NPP hooligans had been captured on video saying that they attacked the studios of UTV to defend and protect some high profile people in Government and the NPP from legitimate criticism by some members of the panel.
It reiterated that the event adds to the litany of attacks that goons associated with the NPP had visited on people performing their lawful duties, including a pregnant judge sitting in open court in Kumasi some time back.
It said the latest incident was yet another clearest evidence of how intolerant, violent, and tyrannical the NPP Government had become.
It said the NDC was calling on the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and other vanguards of free speech, civil society as well as traditional and moral society to speak out before it was too late.
It said the nation’s press freedom and democratic credentials were under serious attack, and to remain silent in these times was to encourage the triumph of evil.
It said the NDC further call on the Ghana Police Service to expeditiously investigate this incident and ensure that all the culprits are duly prosecuted in accordance with law.
The statement said the NDC shall be monitoring every development on this important matter and would not accept anything short of justice.
