In the past week, there have been unending conversations about, especially, the menace of illegal mining (commonly known as galamsey) and how it has devastated the arable lands of Ghana and polluted major water bodies.

With an earlier protest held a little over a week earlier, some young men and women poured out onto the streets again to protest on the same subject, and to press home demands for the release of some nearly 60 protesters from the #ReOccupyJulorbiHouse protest arrested and charged for various offences.

The arrest protesters have been placed in remand for two weeks, expected to end on October 8, when they re-appear in court.

In the ensuing, many persons from across various sectors, the different political divides, as well as the religious bodies and even persons living in the diaspora, have continuously called on the government led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to put a stop to galamsey.

And for the longest period, the president decided to stay mute on these ongoing discussions and protests, not even pushed to speak when he was present at the recently held Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) awards, where there were clear messages from its president, as well as a journalist who came to receive an award with a plastered mouth while holding a placard with the message for him to end the illegal trade.

However, on the morning of Sunday, October 6, 2024, President Akufo-Addo is reported to have told an international media house (France 24) that he has stayed silent because he had no hand in the arrests of the protesters.

"I'm not responsible for jailing people in Ghana. The courts in Ghana are independent institutions and they have been all through this period of the fourth republic. People misconduct themselves and they're brought before court. It's for the court to deal with them. It has nothing to do with politics or the executive.

"Their behavior is what lands them in problems with the police and with the courts. It's not the protest. How can the president, who himself's political career was aided by leading protests, have problems with protests? I don't have problems with protests. And nothing is done in Ghana to prevent people from airing their views on anything," Akufo-Addo said.

Social media has since been reacting to this.

In the meantime, GhanaWeb has gathered some of the photos from the week that are, perhaps, the best of the best.

See them below:





































Here are some videos too from the protests:







AE