Ugandan Police have arrested 120 people at a bar in Kampala, the country’s capital. The BBC is reporting that they are being held for “frequenting a smoking place.”
The bar is popular among the country’s LGBT community and the police have said that narcotics were seized during the operation. Patrick Onyango, the spokesperson for the Kampala Metropolitan Police, told the BBC he was not aware of any LGBT persons among those arrested. NBS is reporting that the operation is part of “many implementation strategies of the Tobacco Control Act 2015 that condemns public consumption of tobacco and related substances.” Footage of some of the arrested individuals made it’ way to social media in the early hours of the morning.
People have gone on social media to express their disappointment in the arrest.
This is such a joke. 20 joints and a shisha pipe and Uganda police arrest an ENTIRE CLUB??? Don't people have rights??? https://t.co/FazXzliYmR
— Kampire (@Vugafrica) November 10, 2019
“They are saying the arrest is about narcotics in an unnamed bar and not mentioning that it’s a queer attack, but in a normal case where the motive of arrest is related to drug use, they arrest individuals that are involved, not sweeping up people…” https://t.co/7ocTGGqKNu
— Twasiima (@triciatwasiima) November 11, 2019
The circumstances around their arrest is still a ponderous wonder to me, but anyhow we shall get to the bottom of things..
— Martyn🌈🌈 (@donmugs) November 11, 2019
It sad to realize that we just celebrated 50 years of the stonewall riots and that there are still places in the world where they haven't even had their own stonewall riots yet… https://t.co/LBLDnlHvHi
— pablo martinez (@satirino89) November 11, 2019
Harrowing footage shows Ugandan police arresting 127 people at gay-friendly bar on suspicion of ‘smoking’ banned substances. LGBT+ Ugandan activists denounce the raid. https://t.co/wIqi0zQvgX
— Peter Tatchell (@PeterTatchell) November 11, 2019
Last month, activists in the country put out a call to action over the alleged reintroduction of the anti gay bill in the country.
