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East/Subsaharan Africa
United States Hails Violent Mass Action
2003-03-26
THE United States government has praised last week's MDC mass action that left a trail of violence, destruction of vehicles and shops, and caused serious injury to people, as "successful and largely peaceful". However, the permanent secretary for Foreign Affairs, Mr Willard Chiwewe, said the interest by the US government in the affairs of Zimbabwe clearly showed unilateral interventionism and intrusion in the internal affairs of small countries."It is not a secret that the US is already playing its assumed role as the epicentre and police general headquarters of the world," he said yesterday.
Willard must be a graduate of the DPRK school of journalism.
The comments from the US government on Zimbabwe come after several vehicles, including a bus carrying puppies, kittens, baby ducks and pre-school kids, were petrol bombed and reduced to shells, while shops, a bridge and the ruling Zanu-PF's Chinhoyi office were also burnt down and extensively damaged.
Mentioning the pre-school bus was a nice touch.
Police arrested 200 people, who included MDC legislators.
I wonder why that happened?
Most of those arrested appeared before the courts throughout the country this week facing charges of breaching the Public Order and Security Act. Bob President Mugabe last Friday accused the United States, Britain and other Western powers of sponsoring the MDC's violent protests in the country. He warned the MDC against abusing freedom of expression to promote violence and terrorism.
They have freedom of expression? Have to wipe that out, someone might abuse it.
Cde Mugabe said it was ironic that the US and some Western countries had ganged up to fan violence on the pretext that they wanted to bring freedom and democracy and deliver the country from food shortages and a declining economy.
We're funny that way.
MDC youths were allegedly paid $5 000 each to unleash violence and intimidate workers not to go to work during last week's two-day mass action. Mr Chiwewe said the broader US policy of interfering in the internal affairs of other states was in breach of international law. "The so-called mass action, which the Americans are hailing as successful was a shut out of industries and workers. The workers reported for work but were shut out," said Mr Chiwewe.
We paid $5000 apiece to buy muscle? In Zim-Bob-We? I don't think so... Or if we did, we'd better hire some new instigators, guys that don't pay top dollar for middlin' henchmen...
In a statement yesterday, a US State Department spokesman, Mr Richard Boucher, protested over the arrest of the suspected perpetrators of violence during the mass action, accusing the Government of unleashing violence and torturing MDC supporters. Police have denied the torture allegations. "The police want to interview and charge those involved in any kind of violence. We are not going to get distracted by people who organise violence and then cry foul when the law is applied to them," said a police spokesman.
"We're the only people allowed to use violence here!"
Posted by:Steve

#6  *Holds up card* 8
Posted by: Ptah   2003-03-26 18:42:10  

#5  Maybe this will give you more of a feeling for Mugabe's rhetoric; "I am still the Hitler of the time. This Hitler has only one objective, justice for his own people, sovereignty for his people, recognition of the independence of his people, and their right to their resources."
Posted by: Pink & Fluffy   2003-03-26 17:07:02  

#4  5 grand? I missed that, thought it was 500. Hell for $5,000, Bob will probably beat himself up.
Posted by: tu3031   2003-03-26 14:32:08  

#3  They need some more spittle-covered adjectives and adverbs to sell this copy. They must realize that we all are in a global economy now and they must compete with KCNA (numbah wun!!!) and Jihadii boys in cut-throat competition for a piece of the action.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2003-03-26 13:25:29  

#2  Punch it up a little...
Posted by: mojo   2003-03-26 12:24:34  

#1  Not bad. Not quite KCNA, but not bad. The pre-school bus burning, the paid thugs. Nice touches.
Needs more "running amuck", "go reckless", and "sea of fire" type descriptives. Tell him to work on it.
Posted by: tu3031   2003-03-26 11:18:08  

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