By Jerromie S. Walters
Monrovia, Liberia – It baffled many on Thursday when officers of the Monrovia City Police intercepted a funeral procession and forcibly opened a casket containing human remains, next to the University of Liberia’s main campus up Capitol Hill.
The officers halted a vehicle transporting a body for burial. Despite the grieving family presenting a death certificate, police insisted on inspecting the casket—allegedly over fears protesters might smuggle weapons in coffins. “We are disappointed. We had all the papers. They saw the death certificate, yet they still opened our father’s casket in front of everyone,” a family member said.
Authorities defended the move, citing “credible intelligence” about possible arms smuggling ahead of Thursday’s “Enough is Enough” demonstrations. “We had to verify it wasn’t weapons,” one officer stated, though no contraband was found. Organized by the coalition Solidarity and Trust for a New Day (STAND), the planned protests aim to highlight rising poverty, insecurity, and government indifference.
STAND had announced that the first day, (July 15, 2025), of its protest, a Memorial Parade and Symbolic Burial of War Victims would have taken place, featuring twenty symbolic caskets. These caskets, according to them would have honored Liberia’s fifteen counties, victims of the civil wars, foreign nationals affected by the conflicts, and those killed in recent incidents such as the Kinjor Massacre. However, this didn’t happen.
The “Enough is Enough” protest outlines ten key demands that address pressing national concerns. First, it calls for substantial economic relief, specifically a living wage of at least US$500 for all civil servants to help them cope with rising costs of living. Second, it demands a complete overhaul of the healthcare system to eliminate preventable deaths and improve medical services nationwide. Third, the resolution seeks justice for motorbike and kehkeh operators by reversing what it describes as unfair restrictions on their operations.
Fourth, it emphasizes the need to end politically motivated dismissals in the civil service to ensure fair employment practices. Fifth, the resolution aims to protect democratic tenure by reversing recent actions that have undermined job security for public officials. Sixth, it calls for restoring legislative independence following alleged political interference in parliamentary affairs.
Seventh, the document demands police accountability, including the dismissal of officers involved in violent crackdowns and thorough investigations into human rights abuses by security forces. Eighth, it seeks protection of citizens’ rights, particularly fair compensation for those forcibly evicted from their properties.
Ninth, the resolution pushes for stronger anti-corruption measures, including prosecuting officials involved in graft and reviewing questionable concession agreements. Finally, it advocates for community rights, urging transparency and fair benefits for communities affected by multinational corporations’ operations. However, organizers of the protest on Thursday insisted that they will not present their petition to anyone else, except President Joseph Boakai. This came after members of the House of Representatives Claims and Petitions Committee showed up to accept their petition.
