Claim: A Facebook user claimed, “Over four (4) persons are dead now,” at the White Tuesday protest.
Verdict: Misleading. The spokesperson of the Liberia National Police said no life was lost during the protest.
Full Text
Hundreds of Liberians, under the banner “Concerned Citizens for the Protection of our Constitution, Democracy, and the Rule of Law,” assembled in Monrovia on December 17, 2024, for a mass protest.
The gathering tagged “White Tuesday” was not without the throwing of stones by protesters and the spraying of teargas by the Liberia National Police (LNP).
A Facebook user named Emmanuel Tosiah took to Facebook and shared a post saying “over four (4) persons are dead now” at the protest.
As of this report, the post had attracted some engagement, with some commenters sceptical aboutas to whether Tosiah’s information was correct.
Verification
DUBAWA contacted the LNP spokesperson, Cecelia Clarke, but she debunked the information, describing it as false.
According to Clarke, “that information is false. No life was lost. That is misinformation right over there.”
Also, DUBAWA contacted Emmanuel Tosiah through a Messenger chat to provide the source of his information.
He responded, “Some of our colleagues were arrested and taken to an unknown destination, and the numbers are around four (4). Their phones [are] off.”
When asked whether he could confirm if they were indeed dead, Tosiah is yet to respond.
DUBAWA tried a Google search to see if there had been any media report about recorded deaths but found no such report from the media.
Conclusion
Emmanuel Tosiah’s post that over four people died at the White Tuesday protest is false.