GENERAL Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), Mr. Lincoln Lewis, who was among the speakers to address the Linden protesters last July 18, testified before the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) on Thursday.

He said he addressed the crowd before the protesters were forced to move by ranks of a Police Tactical Services Unit (TSU), in the process of which three persons died as result of shooting at the blocked Wismar/Mackenzie Bridge.
Counsel to the Commission, Mr. Ganesh Hira, in cross-examination, sought, from Lewis, his whereabouts on the day as Lewis detailed his movements.
The witness testified that he left Georgetown en route to Linden to show support to the people of the depressed community who had come under economic hardship as the government had placed an increment on electricity tariffs and the residents were indicating, to the government, to have such an increase revised since the community was not in a position, at the time, to offset it.
Lewis said he had arrived at the bridge around 11:00 hrs, after learning that the protesters had stopped there, having come from two routes on the western side of the Demerara River.
He estimated that the crowd on the bridge was about 3,000 and sought their views on the situation, by having small conversations with a number of them on the Mackenzie shore. Then he moved to the bridge where the mass was gathered and did the same as he continued to the Wismar shore where he concluded the exercise.
Lewis stated the he never saw the bridge blocked with timber but observed pieces of old vehicles and stones.
Festive situation
He told the CoI it was seen as a festive situation as some people were chanting, reciting poems and singing folk songs as children played football and other games.
Lewis said there were a lot of women who sat in groups and discussed their views on the increased tariffs.
Asked if he saw it necessary for the bridge to be blocked by the protesters, he said yes, at that time. He extended his explanation to give the CoI a brief history of the Wismar/Mackenzie Bridge.
He said the bridge was a significant place for lingerers as they said it is for meeting and that, in the past, the protesters had stopped there briefly before moving to the designated place of  meetings.
Lewis mentioned that, sometime before lunch on July 18, the TSU half unit arrived at the eastern approach to the Mackenzie Bridge where the ranks took up a formation and began moving forward as the protesters, amazed at their arrival, confronted them with verbal chants.
The police retreated and went away as tension built up and more stones and other debris were placed at the entrance to the bridge.
Lewis said he advised the Region 10 (Upper Demeraa/Berbice) Chairman, Mr. Sharma Solomon to go to the western side and address the protesters and the latter did so.
The witness said, at the Wismar side of the bridge, both he and Solomon spoke to the protesters and used an amplified system since the small congregation had enlarged.
Lewis said a number of speakers, including himself, spoke to the protesters on the bridge and, after they left, he received information of the police arriving, again, and went to see what had happened.
He testified that he got off the bridge as he saw the police formation headed through the Linmine compound toward Casuarina Drive and came behind the unit where he met another squad backing the perimeter of the TSU Unit.
Lewis said, from where he was, it was tear smoke and shotgun that took the agenda as the scampering begun at the bridge which saw men, women and children involved.
Get close
He remembered that he managed to get close as he saw persons being brought towards the police, en route to the hospital, two of whom died.
Lewis claimed he saw Commander (Senior Superintendent) Hicken holding a firearm enclosed in newspaper on the return of the squad at the bridge.
Questioned about the description of the gun, he said it was shiny and that was different to what ‘Bad heart’ Calendar had, earlier, said that about two to three inches of the rusty pistol Hicken held was protruding.
The Commissioners demanded, from Lewis, how Hicken held the firearm and what type it was as his answers differed from the first account.
Lewis was, subsequently, shown the video footage of the presenters to the protesters on the bridge and saw himself making his presentation, during which he admitted to telling the protesters that “we aint moving.”