Chaotic Weekend – Liberia news The New Dawn Liberia, premier resource for latest news

By Lincoln G. Peters

Monrovia, July 20, 2026: A violent demonstration erupted across Monrovia over the weekend, with riot police battling with protesters in several locations.

It all started on Friday, July 17, when the Solidarity and Trust for a New Day (STAND) led an anti- drug campaign march that ended in stone throwing and the firing of tear gas canisters on Capitol Hill.

The protest clash was followed by a violent land dispute in which angry residents engaged in a stone-throwing battle with riot police officers who had gone along the Japanese Freeway to enforce a court ruling over a disputed land.

The Friday protest landed Stand Lead Campaigner and Executive Director Mulbah Morlu in police dragnet. He was released from police custody following the reported handover of a pistol allegedly seized from a police officer during last weekend’s protest.

On July 17, STAND called for an immediate, independent probe into what it described as an attempt to infiltrate its peaceful “Lead or Leave” protest with an armed individual. The group warned that any effort to sabotage the demonstration would threaten Liberia’s democracy and rule of law.

In a post-protest statement, STAND alleged that its internal security team peacefully disarmed a man found carrying a pistol, whom they suspected of attempting to provoke violence within the crowd.

The movement said the incident confirmed its earlier fears of attempts to infiltrate the protest and incite unrest.

In response, Inspector General of Police Gregory Coleman announced a criminal investigation into the alleged assault of a police officer and theft of his government-issued firearm during Thursday’s protest on Capitol Hill.

Coleman, at a press conference, urged Morlu to surrender the weapon or face prosecution, stating the protest took a criminal turn when a police officer was allegedly attacked and disarmed by a group while en route to his duty station. Preliminary findings, he said, indicated the officer was assaulted and stripped of his weapon before the suspects fled.

Early Saturday, Morlu was taken into police custody after a search and seizure at his residence. He was later brought before the Paynesville Magisterial Court, formally arrested, and transferred to police headquarters for further investigation.

Former Representative Moses Acarous Gray, who accompanied Morlu, said the STAND chairman voluntarily surrendered the weapon and presented it to the court, which handed it over to police.

Speaking to journalists at police headquarters on Saturday, one of Morlu’s lawyers confirmed that the pistol had been turned over to the court and subsequently to the police in accordance with legal procedures.

The lawyer insisted that Morlu had committed no crime, stating protesters only confronted an unidentified armed individual perceived as a threat. Morlu was released to his lawyers as the investigation continues today, July 20.

Meanwhile, Morlu, responding to IG Coleman, described the police chief as a political operative for President Joseph Boakai and accused him of leading a process to advance the president’s re-election agenda.

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“Your draconian and irresponsible style of policing is evident; you have no formal police training. You’ve never graduated from any police academy in this country, yet you pretend to be a professional officer,” Morlu concluded.