30 May 2006 President Mugabe in response to plans by the MDC to stage peaceful mass protests said: “We hear others say we want to go into the streets to demonstrate, to unseat a legitimately elected government. It will never happen and we will never allow it. If a person now wants to invite his own death, let him go ahead.” 15 July 2006 President Mugabe said the police should be given “extra” powers to deal with the protesters whom he said were being sponsored by foreigners to destabilise the country. He was addressing his party's Central Committee meeting at the party's headquarters in Harare. “Let them take heed of our free advice that any sinister efforts designed to challenge the authority of Government through any illegal way will meet the full wrath of our law. Those who will engage in it will naturally be dealt with. We shall not sit back and allow any group of persons to circumvent the democratic process and aspire to power through illegitimate and unconstitutional means. Those who seek to run the country must get to the seat of government by engaging the people through an election. Any other means is rebellious and shall be treated as such.” 15 August 2006 President Robert Mugabe warned critics that Zimbabwe's army stood ready to “pull the trigger” against anyone seeking to topple him as a mounting political and economic crisis raises fears of unrest. 21 September 2006 President Mugabe blithely dismisses the vicious assaults on trade union leaders by the police as “overzealousness of one or two police, exaggerating their role.” (He did not say that the police officers responsible for these assaults would be punished.) Who guards the guards? Violations by the Zimbabwe Republic Police, 2000 to 2006