Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum: Report on violence against peaceful protestors in Harare No 10 – Account by David Blair in Harare and David Graves for Guardian newspaper A close relative of the Queen will telephone her today to express concern at the “evil actions” of Zimbabwe’s police after her son was badly beaten by them in Harare during an opposition march. Margaret Rhodes, 74, first cousin of the Queen and a Lady in Waiting to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, said she would relay her son’s, account of the march. She would ask the Queen to consider advocating sanctions against Zimbabwe, including possible suspension from the Commonwealth. Mrs Rhodes, of Windsor, Berks, said last night: “What happened was evil and total anarchy. The demonstrators were chanting ‘peace, peace, peace’ and the atmosphere was happy and jolly. They came up against a line of police, which parted and allowed them through. “It was then that the demonstrators were ambushed by Mugabe’s men. It seemed a well-planned operation, which was obviously condoned and orchestrated by Mugabe. It seems there is a total breakdown of law and order in Zimbabwe and that should not be tolerated in any country of the Commonwealth. The Queen, who loves the Commonwealth, should be told exactly what is happening there.” Her son Simon, a naturalized Zimbabwean, said he had joined the demonstration by chance after encountering it in central Harare. Before the violent intervention of thugs from the ruling ZANU (PF) party, the march was “an extremely good-natured, happy” occasion. He said: “There were kids there and the response from all the pedestrians we passed was wonderful.” Mr. Rhodes, a tourism consultant who has lived in Zimbabwe since 1977, left the demonstration to run some errands before it was attacked, but saw the violence from a window. He said: “I saw a poor chap who was bludgeoned and it was painfully obvious that the police allowed the attack to go ahead. They didn’t even help the casualties.” With tear gas billowing through the streets and calm restored, Mr. Rhodes was walking back to his car when two policemen grabbed him from behind. He was thrown into the back of a Land Rover “in an extremely violent manner” and assaulted by four policemen. He said: “One constable twisted both my arms behind my back and a sergeant repeatedly punched me in the throat. Another one hit me on the side of the head.” None of the police said a word or offered any explanation until the burly sergeant said: “People like you will have to learn to respect the government.” He was taken to Harare central police station and questioned by an Inspector. Realising that he faced imprisonment, Mr. Rhodes succeeded in defusing the situation. Before being freed, he asked the Inspector whether the role of the police was to protect all Zimbabwean citizens. “He told me, ‘No, Mr. Rhodes, we are here to protect the interests of the government’. That was a very revealing comment.” No 11 – Report from Guardian reporter, Jan Raath Defiant marchers, bloodied after Saturday’s attack by a mob from President Mugabe’s ruling party, vowed yesterday to “intensify mass action”. The organisers of the march – the National Constitutional Association (NCA), an alliance of churches, labour unions and human rights groups – said that they were planning 100 days of peace marches and prayer vigils. “We have a President who does not uphold the law he has sworn to uphold, and a police force so politicized that it is actively supporting the breakdown of law and order,” Canon Tim Neill, canon for the Anglican church’s Central African province, said. At yesterday’s main service in the multiracial parish of St Luke’s in Harare’s suburb of Greendale, Canon Neill, who called the attack “state terrorism”, gave no sermon. Several members of the congregation were in bandages from injuries sustained during the attack. “I didn’t say anything. I let them speak,” he said. - 19 -