Pushing & shoving as protest demands judiciary´s purge(Update)

Santo Domingo.- Protestersclashed with police outside the Supreme Court Thursday, when chief justice MarianoGerman was heading a ceremony to mark Day of the Judiciary.

The cops tried to evictmembers of the grassroots movement Poder Ciudadano (Citizen Power), which formeda human chain to demand a purge of Dominican Republic´s judicial system.

"The NationalPolice is attacking us, it is shoving us instead of remaining at a safedistance from us, they push us arbitrarily in a repressive way," said ManuelRobles, the movement spokesman.

He warned the police thatthe movement´s members are willing to fight for the country´s freedom and transformthe judicial system.

He said they won’t bow topressure and will leave when they so choose. “We are exercising a fundamentalright such as freedom of expression.”

FILE.- Dozensof police officers have been placed outside the Supreme Court building where chiefjustice Mariano Germán is set to deliver a speech to mark National Day of theJudiciary, an event which comes as numerous sectors question his actions.

The officers, deployedin the downtown area to prevent incidents barricaded some streets near group of governmentoffice buildings known as La Feria.

Human chain

Protesters of thegrassroots movement Poder Ciudadano (citizen power) started gathering outsidethe Supreme Court since 10am Thursday, to call on the population to empower themselveswith zero impunity against government corruption.

Interviewed on CND channel37, movement spokesman Bartolome Pujols announced that the group will remain atthe site for one hour.

"We called to gathertoday as a way to resume this campaign with all the human chains. The humanchain in front of the Supreme Court at 10am aims to denounce and seekclarification for a very simple slogan and which I think is very telling,justice for Justice," Pujols said.