A protest launched by the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) turned violent today after party activists clashed with supporters of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom in front of his residence Enderimaage, in the Maafanu ward of Male’.
MDP MPs and activists gathered outside the Supreme Court at 3pm this afternoon in anticipation of a verdict in a case filed by Umar Naseer – an interim council member of Gayoom’s Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) – challenging the legitimacy of Thimarafushi MP Mohamed Musthafa’s candidacy on the grounds that he had a decreed debt.
Earlier in the day, the MDP national council conducted an emergency meeting and approved a resolution to launch a protest against the judiciary, claiming judges were unduly influenced by the former President and his half-brother MP Abdulla Yameen.
However a verdict was not delivered by the Supreme Court today, which said the hearing was called “to clarify a few points after reviewing the case.”
After Musthafa emerged from the hearing, the protesters marched towards Endherimaage, where violent clashes erupted between MDP activists and a few Gayoom supporters blocking the entrance to his residence.
The clashes occurred after a large piece of wood allegedly thrown from Endherimaage struck a 17-year-old demonstrator or bystander, who was immediately rushed to hospital on a passing pick-up.
Minivan News journalists at the scene observed gravel, rocks, hot water and sharp metal raining down on protesters from the top floors or terrace of Endherimaage.
Several activists claimed they saw Gassan Maumoon, former President Gayoom’s son, throw stones and pour boiling hot water on the protesters.
MDP activists meanwhile threw large stones at Endhirmaage and attempted to break down the door.
Some windows of the house were smashed while a car parked outside was damaged.
The 17-year-old is currently undergoing surgery at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH). A number of MDP MPs and senior members are waiting at the hospital.
MP Ali Waheed told state broadcaster MNBC that the boy was behind MP Alhan Fahmy when the piece of wood struck him straight on the head.
MNBC One showed blood stains on the MPs’ shirt, which Ali Waheed said resulted from the injury to the boy. The state broadcaster also reported that other people at the area were hurt from falling objects.
Speaking to Minivan News outside IGMH, the brother of the injured boy said that according to doctors “his skull was damaged and parts of the skull have gone inside his brain.”
“He was hit in the right side of his head and the left side of his body is now paralysed,” the relative said.
Doctors could not predict how long the surgery would take, he added.
”The doctors said the surgery was to remove the particles from inside his brain,” he said.
Some of the MDP supporters outside the hospital claimed the boy was hit by a wooden 
door hurled from the terrace of Endherimaage by Gassan Maumoom.
Police spokesman Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam confirmed to Minivan News that police were investigating reports that the object was thrown from the Endherimaage building.
“We are questioning the witnesses to try and determine how this happened,” Shiyam said.
“This is a very serious issue. Because of this there might be other problems and we do not want there to be political violence.”
Meanwhile in an interview with private broadcaster DhiTV this evening, Gayoom condemned the protest and claimed the violence was organised by the government.
Gayoom said he saw senior MDP members such as Male’ City Mayor ‘Maizan’ Ali Manik and Executive Services Secretary at the President’s Office Mohamed Ziyad. Minivan News also observed Ziyad and Maizan Alibe at the protest.
“They came with their activists and attacked my home,” Gayoom said. “They attacked nearby houses as well.”
As riot police were not at the scene to intercede, said Gayoom, Chief of Defence Forces Moosa Jaleel and Police Commissioner Ahmed Faseeh should “personally bear responsibility” for the damage.
Gayoom said he would inform foreign governments of today’s events.
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Whenever MDP activists want, they can demonstrate outide the Supreme Court, outside the Parliament House, outside Gayyoom's house, outside Ilyas' house and outside any other place they want.
For anyone else who want to demonstrate, these are ALL no go zones. The few who would even dare to go to a no go zone will either be arrested or beaten with battons or papper sprayed or tear gassed.
Why is that?
Most of the people who participated in today's demonstration are people freshly released from jail. Now I understand why a second chance is given to these violent rioters who under normal conditions, would be the occupants of the prison cells.
* pepper sprayed
The consequences of today's unnecessary demonstration were totally avoidable.
I blame MDP and Maldives Police Service.
Like that dude on TV, i also thought maumoon's days of injuring people were over. Old habits die hard.
More then everything else we should all say a prayer for that boy, he is too young to die, nothing calls for violence of this sort.
IDIOTS
I am a MDP member but this is very irresponsible from the party. Why do they have to agitate now? They are a political party and there is democracy in Maldives. Democracy is not mob rule. But this seems to be the case now.
Just because there is case against a member of MDP, it does not mean that MDP members should riot in Maldives.
I have no truck with Gayoom but now it looks like he is the reasonable guy and MDP is the party creating the violence.
MDP should not fall into this trick.
For the sake of Maldives, they should stop all this madness and lets get the country back on its feet.
Way to go, this is nothing new for a barbaric society like Maldives, uncultured poor ignorant will behave in this way and it is not a surprise. Unruly and brain closed people cannot be satisfied by any means the only thing they know is violence. Who to blame? Definitely that moron Qayoom who ruled for 30 years and taught to this primitive people only to be proud of nothing, but being a Maldivian and a Muslim. For him that’s all matters.
Classic MDP: Goes to a fight and is surprised when people are injured.
Whenever MDP activists want, they can demonstrate outide the Supreme Court, outside the Parliament House, outside Gayyoom’s house, outside Ilyas’ house and outside any other place they want.
For anyone else who want to demonstrate, these are ALL no go zones. The few who would even dare to go to a no go zone will either be arrested or beaten with battons or pepper sprayed or tear gassed.
Why is that?
MDP has demonstrated time and time again that they capable of acting without pragmatism or forethought and are always bound to resort to street protests as a one-size-fits-all solution to everything.
However, the use of the Maldives Police Service as a personal militia must be addressed. The institution has come a long way from its roots however there are several areas which need further improvement.
For example;
- Most youths look at the MPS as a recruiting ground for academically dull unmotivated underachievers.
- Public confidence in the MPS is still depressingly low.
- The extreme levels of politicization within the institution cripples its function.
- The lack of consistency and finesse in dealing with the media and protests harm the MPS image even further.
Seriously we need to hunt down maumoon and just like the libyans hunted down gaddafi... this gang has to go down the drain.
Again MDP has to pay a high price for a stunt made by the "would be chairperson" of MDP insane leader Recco Mossa.
It is disturbing to watch those pictures from the TV live coverage.I was wondering at the time why there was no police or MNDF their to protact people and their property.
Is it the way to bring the juditiory to the right path.I sure it was the opposite.Protesters stoned former presidents home and did damages to the property.
The massage was completely wrong and it was unlawful.So who is doing lawful thing in here and who is obaying to the law.Those who has organised this demenonstration should be presented to the court oom and justice should be made according to their act.
Who is doing right and who is doing wrong is unclear.Everything is failed.
MDP activists are saying former peresident and his half brother are two thieves but they cannot show any facts for anything.It became like a joke and funny to hear.
From the very bigining MDP activist keep saying they will bring all of them infront of justice but it never happens.No proofs for whatsoever.
MDP terns will be close to an end and former president is still standing high.
Now President has said that he has nothing to talk or say about the former president and he has said whatever he has in his mind.
Is that mean former president is innocent and he will bring this government upside down.or waiting closer to 2013 for a stunt.
All what i know is those who are commiting crimes,stealing etc ... etc.. has been punished in this country..house arrest,exile,life sentence etc... so who is innocent in here.....
You should have brought the house down and bring Gayoom outside and drag him on the streets. He could have joined Gaddafi in hell.
no creature should be treated the way gaddafi treated his enemies or the way his enemies treated gaddafi. ditto for maumoon.
i second reality maldives. the massage was completely wrong.
What were the MDP protesters doing outside Qayyooms house in the first place? They asked for the trouble and they got it. Good, well done.
I second realitytampon, The massage puts them in a weird position. Lets hope they pull out before they take another pounding. ANd the people should just stop swallowing the lies they keep squirting upon us!
We should gather outside his everyday till this man leaves us alone. Saddam gone, Gaddafi gone, You will too Maumoon.
@Naeembe
You are indeed very angry and frustrated. And you have every right to be as you seem to be so inadequate. However, I must point out here that Maumoon is definitely more cultured than you are. At least, in comparison to you, he is more articulate and expresses himself in more cultured manner!
What is obvious is that the Gayoom family seem intent on killing (murdering)someone amongst any demonstrators who come near their homes. Yaameen (was given "protection" after he) had a gang pile up pavement stones to pelt at the demonstrators on the ground from four to ten stories high. Gayoom had rocks, wooden blocks and even boiling water at the ready..why?? To murder someone. They seem to have fulfilled that morbid crime judging from the critical condition of the young man injured yesterday (on prior preparation and orders of Gayoom)...
@ Manik's got it right..these are Murderers...still intent on violence..whoever pelted that wooden plank from a couple of storeys up hit the young man from inside Gayoom's home..and the injured young man is already paralyzed and about to die....
...and Maumoon tortured and murdered people in the most cultured manner, right Gay Lover?
I don't understand why minivan is not moderating the obvious call for violence. We are no better than those we claim are murderers and dictators if we ourselves call for extrajudicial killings
For heavens sake! We need an end to this madness if Maldives is to achieve prosperity!
@ MDP clowns,
Your blindly following a man (reeko) who is hell bent on getting his revenge against the previous administration and especially his personal grudge against Maumoon have clouded his better judgment.
Try to practice what you preach. The very "democracy" you guys strive for will become your downfall if your actions are like savages. Its not very "democratic" to damage public/private property eh?
No matter what they say, these kinds of actions by MDP hooligans are raising popularity and support for Gayyoom.
I feel sympathetic to him now and agree when he says that yesterday's actions by the MDP hooligans were acts of terrorism.
Rolex is right. MDP should remember that they are the Government now and should act responsibly.
They are saying that any court decision that goes against them would be protested publicly. Actually what they are doing is contempt of court, especially by the Majlis Members.
What the Supreme Court would eventually do is arrest one or some of them and sentence them to Jail.
Now what happens? They would of course refuse to go and would the Police arrest them? If not what? Then there is no democracy and no Rule of Law.
MDP claims that they bought Democracy to Maldives. Yes they did that but the rest would say they also bought Anarchy to Maldives.
When it looks to the people that Gayoom is the reasonable guy and MDP are anarchist it is really very pathetic and sad. In these 3 years we have lost what we gained in the first year of democracy.
What we see now is the beginning of the end.
Nasheed will try to rule with force of arms, deceit and support from the climate change Mafia.
Neither Ed Norton nor Sonu Sivdasena can save Nasheed from his descent down the polls. Whatever Qayyoom did during his reign to Nasheeds clan, we are no longer interested in being a party to the revenge of the Kerafaas.
Off with you lot. The Maldivian people should not have played a part in what was done to Nasir and we certainly will not entertain this depraved psycho and his haphazard government.
i was there watching the protest and over heard MDP official saying " i have got 30 swords in my house. shall i show you how we use them "..Bunch of police officers were there and i can assure that they also heard it but that does not make any difference in Maldives now.
while MDP protest the police safe guard them. and when the oppositions does there goes the police, and army to stop them.. This is not democracy..
Put Maumoon and Reeko in the same cell and they can eat as much flesh they like and bleed to death!
Then this madness is over!
Yes! MDP was provoking!
But Maumoon being an educated person and a godlike wise man, could he not have stopped his supporters without raining down all these objects from that high?
@tsk tsk, you seem to have overlooked one sir richard. tsk tsk. sorry.
so, are you the president's namesake?
Like in Libya, we have to bring this Maumoon story to an end. I think we are following a cult leader, whose only ambition is to create havoc in the country. The guy and his cronies are so power hungry and they wish the people no good will.
On a different note, anybody else find those BML ads, you know, about them wanting two heads, a bit droll? Anybody?
"MDP activists meanwhile threw large stones at Endhirmaage and attempted to break down the door.
Some windows of the house were smashed while a car parked outside was damaged."
This is totally false. Minivan News is deliberately misleading people about what happened.
MDP activists did not ATTEMPT to break the "door." They BROKE the gate of the former president's house, went inside and smashed a car that was parked INSIDE THE HOUSE.
This was too much.
Its nothing to do with MDP.
the 30 years of burutal dictator knows the SAARC is a head therefore he needs to apear on FRONT LINE of local & International Media.
ITS A PSYCOLOGIGAL competion between:
MAN FOR ALL ISLANDS & THE ISLAND PRESIDENT
Zionist Maumoon and cronies attacked innocent bystanders just like during their dictatorship. May be killing is a habbit difficult to eradicate just like Gaddafi.Which ever the color he reveals a dictator will always be a dictator. So wear your helmets.
MDP has people who wants to milk the governemnt while it lasts. Not everyone wants long term sustanability of the system.
The protests are just a diversionary way of keeping MDP activists occupied and motivated while some people are pocketing big money.
I noticed a comment above me about Maumoon being cultured, as though culture refers to knowledge, the ability to speak in an articulate manner, and dress well.
Such vein, shallow, gracelss understanding of culture.
The definition of the word culture is much contested, but in my opinion, the only culture (derived from the word cultivate) which is worth boasting of is the çultivation of compassion, of selfless love. This çulture grows from the seed of pain, is nurtured on the soil of love, and manifests the beautiful flowers of wisdom, justice, and mercy.
Culture is not all the stupid, vein, shallow things you say it is.\
I wonder when Maldives will be free of tyrant Gay Yoom and his family.
This family is like a plague to our ignorant society.
This whole saga of bashing Maldives judiciary by President Nasheed's advisers and supporters is because we have a weak Chief justice who don't have guts to stop these illegal contempt of justice by anyone.
This MDP is the mos undemocratic party in Maldives. They are threatening the judiciary system!
This is not the type of democracy that I voted and hoped for in the Maldives.
This is not democracy at all. This is anarchy and demagoguery and thuggery.
What a sad state of affairs when after 30 years of Gayoom and Dictatorial rule and before that Nasir's dictatorship, we end of thinking that Maldives is finished.
Actually Maldives is finished as we know. The Government is privatising all national assets just like the Conservatives are doing in the UK. Just like the Conservatives in the UK are destroying their economy MDP would destroy our economy too.
It is pathetic that the only opposition to this is coming from a former dictator Gayoom. Surely there must be some patriotic Maldivians who can offer an alternative vision to the one Gayoom is showing?
I call the Judiciary to forget about themselves and for once think about Maldives and be steadfast and truthful and honest and come down heavily on those who break the law, the constitution and show contempt of court. This means any politician who comes out and demonstrate against them publicly.
If the Supreme Courts convicts any Majlis member on contempt of court, they automatically lose their seat. They have to do it once and the rest would shut up.
"The clashes occurred after a large piece of wood allegedly thrown from Endherimaage struck a 17-year-old demonstrator or bystander"
Is this true? No clashes before that?