In a post first shared by Ateneo de Manila University’s student newspaper The Guidon, two Quezon City police officers showed up at a rally against extrajudicial killings (EJK) attended by at least 50 students.
The rally took place at 8pm last night to recognize the death of 17-year-old student Kian delos Santos, who was killed in a drug raid in Caloocan City last week. They held a moment of silence and lit candles for Kian at 8:24 pm, the time he was killed by police officers.
They were also protesting the government’s drug war that has left 12,000 people dead, according to the Commission on Human Rights.
An article in the student publication says that students became “confused and uneasy” after the police showed up outside one of the university gates.
A faculty adviser approached the cops to ask them why they were there. The adviser said the police asked her about the purpose of the rally and the names of the students. She refused to mention any names.
The school’s security guards attempted to get a look at the officers’ names and faces but the cops turned away.
Faculty members at the protest advised students to enter the campus gates after the cops showed up.
A comment on the publication’s Facebook page pointed out that the event reminded them of the First Quarter Storm, a series of student-led uprisings in the 1970s against the Marcos dictatorship.
“This has happened before. If not checked, they will be cracking down on movement leaders/organizers,” the comment reads.
Ramon Sunico pointed out that sending police to check on rallyists is an “old tactic.”
Virlen Temporaza questioned the need for police officers to get students’ names.
Last night’s protest is the latest in a series of protests calling for accountability over delos Santos’ death and an end to extrajudicial killings in the country.
