MONROVIA – The Solidarity & Trust for a New Day (STAND), in partnership with the WE THE PEOPLE Movement and other allied organizations, has formally notified the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Justice of a nationwide peaceful protest set for December 17, 2025. The demonstration, titled “Lead or Leave – Enough Is Enough,” is aimed at pressing the government to deliver justice, accountability, and meaningful reforms for Liberians.
STAND Chairman Mulbah K. Morlu, speaking on behalf of the December 17 Non-Negotiable Protest Coalition, recalled the historic July 17, 2025 protest, when thousands of Liberians peacefully assembled to petition the government on issues of corruption, governance, and human rights.
“Since that day, the government’s silence and inaction have only deepened public despair and widened the divide between the governed and those who govern,” Morlu said. “As the cost of living continues to soar and national hardship worsens, the patience of the Liberian people has been stretched to its breaking point.”
In its official communication to the Ministry of Justice, the coalition outlined the people’s key demands, including respect for the rule of law, protection of human rights, decisive action against corruption and impunity, economic stabilization, improved healthcare, an end to gender-based violence, a fight against drug proliferation, and meaningful reforms to lift millions out of poverty.
Morlu emphasized that the December 17 protest will remain peaceful yet unyielding. “Our movement remains peaceful, disciplined, and law-abiding, but let it be clearly understood: the Liberian people will not retreat, will not be silenced, and will not bow to threats or intimidation,” he said.
The coalition expressed serious concern over selective justice and entrenched impunity, citing cases such as Deputy Minister Bryant McGill, accused of raping a minor, and businessman George Kailondo, implicated in alleged drug trafficking. “These disturbing realities mock Liberia’s ‘End Rape’ and ‘No to Drugs’ campaigns, undermine the rule of law, and sustain a culture where the powerful remain above accountability,” Morlu noted.
The December 17 protests will take place across all counties, with the main gathering at the public grounds between the Executive Mansion and the Capitol Building in Monrovia. STAND stressed that peaceful assembly in front of the Executive Mansion is constitutionally guaranteed. “Unlike July 17, when police barricaded the area, the people will not accept any attempt to deny them access to their own grounds,” Morlu warned.
While reiterating the coalition’s commitment to nonviolence, Morlu issued a strong caution against any intimidation. “We will remain peaceful, but fearless and uncompromising. Should the government attempt to resurrect brutal tactics like those used against the anti-BEA Mountain protesters, then we will die standing, never on our knees in cowardice,” he declared.
The STAND-led coalition also highlighted the government’s failure to protect fundamental rights, including shielding officials accused of rape, selectively prosecuting alleged drug traffickers, and weaponizing the judiciary against opposition voices.
“In pursuit of justice and reform, the Liberian people will rise octopus-style on December 17,” Morlu concluded. “Like July 17, they will remain peaceful, but they will not leave the streets until their voices are heard and their demands are met. Lead or Leave—Enough Is Enough!”
