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Police visit at ADMU anti-EJK rally raises concerns

Photo from The GUIDON Twitter account.

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AT LEAST two Quezon City Police District (QCPD) police officers riding an unlicensed black police cruiser visited demonstrators at Gate 2.5 of Ateneo last Thursday night.

The demonstrators were part of a protest organized by some Ateneo alumni in light of the death of 17-year-old Kian Delos Santos and the continuous spate of killings brought about by the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

Around 40 to 50 people were present in the rally at its peak, including high school and undergraduate students, as well as faculty members.

Police arrived at Gate 2.5 a few minutes after a moment of silence and candle lighting ceremony were held at 8:24PM, the exact time of Delos Santos’ death. The vehicle had no plate number, but was later identified with the ID “QCPD-237” on its body.

The officers exited the vehicle and did not initially engage with protesters.

A female Ateneo staff member then approached the officers to allay fears among protesters, who were visibly confused and uneasy with the police’s presence.

According to the staff member, the officers asked her for the purpose of the demonstration as well as the names of the leaders. She refused to give any names.

When the protesters asked the Ateneo security guards stationed at Gate 2.5 if they were able to scan the policemen’s names and faces, the guards said that the policemen looked the other way.

The protesters cleaned up the area and promptly dispersed. The officers, however, stayed in their cruiser until around past 9:00PM, even if the area had already been vacated.

‘Police intimidation’

A number of people on Twitter and Facebook who saw the initial report of the incident denounced it as a case of police intimidation.

In an interview with The GUIDON, School of Social Sciences Representative Dasha Uy said that the police presence at the rally is both “terrifying and disgusting.”

“That they would stoop to such levels–scare tactics against peacefully protesting high school and university students–is telling of the kind of culture this administration has created. Impunity and the suppression of basic freedoms are a dangerous combination,” she said.

Moreover, Uy reassured that the Sanggunian is doing its best to protect the student body, while continuing to speak out against “what is wrong and unjust.”

“We're trying to find the balance between the two–protecting students and fearlessly speaking out–because the fact of the matter is, we should speak out when things get worse. When we're silent we've taken the side of the oppressor. I guess we're going to have to find more creative ways to protest,” she added.

The Union of Students for the Advancement of Democracy has released a statement condemning the incident.

“Masidhi naming kinukundena ang mga pagtatangkang takutin at ipagkait sa taumbayan ang kanilang karapatang magprotesta at ipabatid ang kanilang mga hinanaing,” the statement read.

(We are strongly condemning attempts to intimidate and deprive the people of their right to protest and address their grievances.)

The party also called for another demonstration later today at the same venue.

Kabataan Party List-Katipunan also denounced the police action, calling it a “fascist, anti-student” attack. With reports from Michelle D. Abad, Manuel M. Aldeguer IV, Robbin M. Dagle, Liam C. Lu, and Thea A. Siscar.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a developing story. We will add more updates to this article as they come.