FREETOWN, Sierra Leone – Police said they fired tear gas Wednesday to disperse a crowd of violent protesters that besieged the offices of Sierra Leone's opposition party.
The protesters — mostly youths angered by remarks made on the party's radio station criticizing the government — attacked the headquarters of the Sierra Leone People's Party and tried to force their way into the radio station inside.
Assistant Inspector General of Police Richard Moigbe said he received a distress call from the party early Wednesday morning.
Police fired a volley of tear gas canisters to push the rowdy crowd back from the building, he said.
Several people have been arrested, Moigbe said, adding that the violence had "political connotations."
Details of the remarks that caused the outbreak of violence were not immediately available.
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