Police violently dispersed anti-imperialist protests in Nairobi as activists marched against the Africa Forward Summit last May 11-12, denouncing the gathering as a platform for imperialist domination and renewed foreign control over Africa.
Protesters attempted to march toward areas near Serena Hotel, Uhuru Highway and the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) on Tuesday, May 12 before police moved in, dispersing crowds and arresting several demonstrators.
Witnesses and activist groups said at least 13 protesters, including local and foreign activists from Greece, South Korea, France, and Britain, were arrested and detained as the summit continued under heavy security.
The arrest of the 13 also followed the earlier arrest of five members of the Revolutionary Student Commission, the student wing of the Communist Party Marxist–Kenya, who were detained after opposing the summit.
The protests marked the culmination of a two-day Pan-Africanism Summit Against Imperialism attended by activists, intellectuals, trade unionists, students and organizers from Kenya and abroad.
Participants condemned what they described as France’s continuing neo-colonial influence in Africa through militarization, debt dependency, resource extraction and political interference.
In a statement, the Communist Party Marxist–Kenya condemned the arrests and accused the William Ruto administration of serving imperialist interests.
“Their only crime is standing with the oppressed. Their only crime is rejecting imperialist domination. Their only crime is declaring that Africa is not for sale,” the party said.
The organization said the arrests exposed “the true character of the Ruto regime as a neocolonial and comprador administration acting in defense of imperialist interests against the democratic rights of the people.”
Activists linked the crackdown to a broader pattern of political repression against anti-imperialist and democratic movements in Kenya.
Post Views: 91
