Student injured in altercation with police outside parliament

16 April 2015 - 20:21 By Bianca Capazorio
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Floyd Shivambu. File photo.
Floyd Shivambu. File photo.
Image: Times Media

A UCT student from the Rhodes Must Fall movement was taken to hospital after an altercation with police outside of Parliament today.

The student was apparently injured when a stun grenade went off‚ hitting him in the ear.

A small group of students marched to Parliament this afternoon protesting “afro-phobia”.

As they protested outside‚ Zuma and MPs inside the house made statements against the xenophobic attacks that have rocked South Africa.

After the attack‚ EFF MP Floyd Shivambu‚ who had learned of the protests from social media rose in the house to bring to their attention saying “police are brutalising students outside”.

One student‚ who did not want to be named‚ said they had not acquired a permit to march.

Outside the gates of Parliament they clashed with police when they refused to leave.

“They were physically assaulting people. Grabbing them and shoving them away‚” she said.

Another student said that when they arrived police had warned them to leave. When they asked why they could not protest‚ more and more police started arriving.

“They were pushing us. And the next minute three stun grenades went off. One guy was hit in the ear.”

She said she knew the student’s name but did not want to name him.

An ambulance was called‚ however she said it took too long so they put him in a taxi to hospital.

After the altercation‚ students sang and recited poetry underneath the Louis Botha statue‚ watched over by about 15 police officers.

Some chatted with the officers telling them about their movement.

Another emptied her pockets showing the contents to the police and saying “I’m showing you what’s in my pockets so that when you shoot can see that I’m unarmed".

"Look‚ it’s a student card‚ keys and some papers‚” she said to laughter from the police.

The police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

-RDM News Wire.

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