Minister of Information and Broadcasting Dr Ismaila Ceesay has said the police must take action when political statements cross the line into criminal conduct, as concerns continue over divisive language during the political season.
Speaking on Coffee Time with Peter Gomez, Dr Ceesay said the government does not promote hate speech or language that divides Gambians, but stressed that the police have a responsibility to determine whether a particular statement has broken the law.
“There are laws in this country the police has to do their job on this operational policing issue,” he said.
Ceesay said where the police establish that a statement amounts to hate speech or another offence, action should follow.
“The police has to believe a crime has been committed that a particular statement tantamount to hate speech, which is against the law, or is a crime. The police has to establish that first, and they can take action,” he said.
His comments came during a discussion on recent political and religious statements that have attracted public criticism, including remarks considered divisive along ethnic and religious lines.
Ceesay acknowledged that some statements can fall on the border between legality and illegality, making the issue more complicated.
He said he was not aware of what action the police may have taken in particular cases, noting that some matters could be handled behind the scenes to avoid escalating tensions.
“What I can tell you is what the police should do. What they do is one thing,” he said.
According to Ceesay, the government expects the police to ensure that statements which go against the law are dealt with.
“What we can tell you is what we expect as a government from the police is to make sure that any statement which goes against the law is dealt with,” he said.
Ceesay also maintained that the government’s policy is to promote an inclusive society where there is no discrimination based on tribe, religion, gender or region.
“As a government, we don’t promote hate speech we don’t promote division we don’t promote divisive language,” he said.
He added that citizens also have a right to condemn statements they consider inappropriate, while urging Gambians not to allow political rhetoric to destroy the country’s peaceful coexistence.
