Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum: Report on violence against peaceful protestors in Harare his guitar. She ran past him but returned to help him get out of the way of the mob. After moving him some distance up the road, she huddled with him and two black women in a doorway. A thug spotted them and laid into Patricia with a stick, splitting her head open and kicking her in the stomach, accusing her of being an MDC supporter. The two black women tried to shield Patricia from the blows. When we emerged from the building that we had taken refuge in there were torn placards laying strewn in the streets. A MARS ambulance was parked in First Street Mall attending to injured NCA supporters and scores of dazed people wandered around questioning how the police could have let thugs harm peaceful Zimbabwean citizens. In particular, the fact that people who were helping other injured marchers, were viciously assaulted is completely abhorrent. Perhaps one of the most poignant symbols of the morning was the blind busker’s guitar lying on the sidewalk, broken and useless. Just what Robert Mugabe and ZANU (PF) are trying to do to the Zimbabwean nation’s spirit? Brenda picked up the remains of the guitar and took it back to the busker’s chair on the corner, hoping that at least he would emerge unscathed. Happily he did and a number of us, including other passers-by contributed money to help him replace or repair his guitar. A white man walked passed with a bandaged arm and what looked like sjambok cuts on his back, as if he had been whipped. We had seen him bleeding from his head a short time before. Andy, a reporter, had a rock thrown in his face. Trish, who had stopped to help someone injured, was head-butted and had to go to hospital. I’ve just read that Impi had his legs beaten by a policeman. My family made our way back to Causeway Post Office and met up with a reassembled group of marchers on Second Street. Their spirits were not broken. We joined them and continued clapping and singing. When we rounded the corner in Central Avenue, the vision that greeted us was masses of police in full riot gear. They were waiting for us. My family skirted the police and looked back to see the NCA supporters sit down on the road well away from the police, chanting PEACE, PEACE. What reply did they get? The police fired several tear gas canisters into them, seated and completely unarmed. As we continued up Central Avenue, the riot police followed, waving their batons threateningly and chasing onlookers away. Meanwhile military helicopters circled the city. What did this experience mean to me? On the one hand I was truly inspired being with so many motivated and patriotic people. We came together in the hope of encouraging change. I must emphasise that by getting out of my safe world and stretching my own boundaries and being involved in collective action gave me the opportunity to see very clearly that black, white, coloured, Greek – all of us in Zimbabwe, for the most part, like and respect each other. During the march and after the violence, everyone helped each other. Willingly and with respect. I never imagined that I would “high 5” commuter drivers but I did and when these moments happen our country is a better place. It is clear that Mugabe and his cronies need hired thugs to do their dirty work. Mugabe is milking the race card for all it’s worth. Don’t succumb to fear and paranoia in the face of the continued bombardment of racist propaganda from the state-controlled broadcasting sector. On the ground it’s different. The people of Zimbabwe want peace and stability not civil war. No 2 – Account by Robert Standish-White On the way in to join the Peace March from Highlands there was a Police roadblock at Newlands which was stopping and searching all vehicles, and all bus and commuter passengers were required to disembark. This naturally caused an enormous back up of traffic that one can only imagine was to discourage people coming in to the city. I was told at the rally the situation was similar on other main roads into town. Having been held up for nearly an hour there I was a little late for the start of the rally, but was told that when it did start the riot police immediately tried to block it but fell back as numbers grew. - 11 -