“We Have Passed the Stage of Seeking Police Permission”-GALA Coordinator Vows to Proceed With Plan Protest

By Seedy Jobe

Hakeem Touray, the National Coordinator of Gambians Against Looted Assets (GALA), has stated that the movement no longer considers it necessary to seek police permission before organizing public demonstrations, arguing that the government often implements policies without consulting citizens.

His comments follow GALA’s notification to the Gambia Police Force on Monday of its intention to stage a peaceful protest at the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) in response to the country’s ongoing electricity outages.

Speaking on The Grand Bantaba program on Friday, June 12, 2026, Hakeem Touray said Gambians are routinely subjected to government decisions without being asked for their views, and therefore citizens should not be expected to seek approval before exercising their right to protest.

“We have passed the stage of seeking police permission. We are not seeking their permission. What we are experiencing is that when the government imposes things on the people, it does not seek our permission. It does not even care how we feel. So we are not going to care either, and we are not going to worry about whether you give us permission to go out or not,” Touray said.

Touray clarified that GALA’s position is to notify the police of planned demonstrations rather than request authorization, while acknowledging the role of law enforcement in ensuring public safety and traffic management.

“The only thing we can do is notify you that we are going out. If you want to put mechanisms in place to ensure the flow of traffic, you can go ahead and provide security; no problem. But as far as going out is concerned, our position stands clear,” he added.

Touray further revealed that GALA submitted a notification letter to the police on Monday but had not received a response as of Wednesday afternoon. He explained that the police typically engage organizers shortly after receiving such notices to discuss logistical details, including protest routes and timing.

“So we notified the police with a letter on Monday. But today is Wednesday, and since Monday around 2 pm, I dropped the letter with my secretary. Until today, my secretary has not told me whether they have called, because my secretary’s telephone number and those of other members are on the letter. So we are expecting that they will call and ask us where we will start our protest, up to where, and what time we will spend there. But for now they don’t call us,” he added.

The planned protest comes amid growing public frustration over persistent power outages affecting households and businesses across the country.