Few days ago, a group of 16 members affiliated with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) invaded the premises of UTV and disrupted its primetime show. The incident was unpleasant in the sense that it undermined the principles of press freedom and freedom of expression, which are essential pillars of any democracy hence, the occurrence struck a lot of reactions from netizens.
A number of significant personalities came out to voice their discontent about the situation calling for the perpetuators to be punished in order to deter others. With regards to this, the Achimota Magistrate Court has now convicted and fined each individual an amount of GH¢2400 for their actions. The charges brought against them include conspiracy to commit a crime and rioting, to which they pleaded guilty.
The invasion occurred on Saturday, October 7, 2023, during the live broadcast of United Showbiz. The group expressed their discontent with the show, claiming that it consistently criticized the government unfairly and unprofessionally. They further alleged that a letter from the NPP to UTV's management, requesting reforms to the show, was torn apart on-air by A Plus, a political activist and regular panelist of the program.
Subsequently, the police arrested and prosecuted the individuals involved. This incident has drawn strong condemnation from both the National Media Commission and the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA). The GJA referred to the invasion as "barbaric and medieval" and expressed concern about the growing culture of impunity against the media in recent times, which they deemed worse than the infamous "culture of silence."
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In response to attempts by some NPP members to deny the affiliation of the group to the party, Salam Mustapha, the National Youth Organizer of the NPP, confirmed that all the young men involved were indeed known members of the party. In an interview on Ekosiisen, a popular current affairs radio show in Ghana, Mustapha acknowledged their affiliation but clarified that the actions of the youth were not sanctioned by the party. He identified the individuals as constituency youth organizers and a Deputy Greater Accra Youth Organizer, emphasizing that he could not lie about their party membership.
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