Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum: Report on violence against peaceful protestors in Harare The number of marchers has been variously reported. Some reports put it at 2000 whereas as one press report puts it as high as eight thousand. As the march proceeded through the city others joined in. A realistic estimate of the number of marchers after others had joined in is between 3000 and 4000. The march proceeded around the streets of Harare and it was completely free of violence. The marchers had gone down Second Street and had turned into Jason Moyo Avenue. It then proceed via Chinhoyi and Mbuya Nehanda, back down Nelson Mandela to Leopold Takawira and then up to Samora Machel. They had then turned from Samora Machel into First Street and had arrived at the intersection of First Street and Union Avenue. Throughout the protestors were cheerful and non-intimidating and many of the members of the general public seemed to respond positively to the message being put across by the demonstrators. 2.3 The attack upon the marchers As the marchers were turning from First Street into Union Avenue in order to go to Africa Unity Square they were set upon by a group of at least 200 armed men and some women. This group had set off from ZANU (PF) headquarters in Rotten Row. The Chairman of the War Veterans, Dr Chenjerai Hunzvi had been present at the headquarters and may have addressed the group prior to it setting off. They were carrying various weapons such as pick handles, iron bars, axes and strands of barbed wire. They had also armed themselves with branches they had broken off trees and with large stones they picked up. Films taken of this group of armed men clearly show that, although there were some people who were old enough to have been war veterans, there were a large number of persons in the mob who were obviously too young to have been fighters in the liberation war. The armed men obviously knew exactly where the marchers were at that point because they proceeded directly to the place where the marchers were located. They went past some contingents of riot squad and these members of the riot squad made no attempt to stop them. As they neared the marchers, a few members of the riot squad attempted to interpose themselves between the armed mob, but the mob simply swept past them. The numbers of riot squad on the spot were small and they were greatly outnumbered by the attackers. The question still remains why the police had not been monitoring the movements of the “war veterans” and had not been prepared to intercede if these persons displayed belligerent intentions. It is clearly unacceptable that a group of armed men could be allowed to move across the city centre without any attempt to disarm them or restrain them. As will be seen below, it has been alleged by the war veterans that they were simply defending themselves after they had been attacked by having stones thrown at them and they had used sticks taken away by the marchers. There is no doubt whatsoever that this is entirely false. All witnesses to the course of events testify that the marchers were completely unarmed and that they were attacked by a mob carrying sticks, stones and other weapons. There is film footage that proves beyond any doubt that this is what happened.18 It is possible, however, that war veterans could have been monitoring the march and could have been offended by some of the posters and remarks shouted out during the protest. This of -6-