Zimbabwean police turn water cannons on money protesters
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe launched a range of ‘bond notes’ on Monday to ease chronic cash shortages and supplement the dwindling US dollars in circulation
Zimbabwean riot police used a water cannon on Wednesday to scatter 20 activists protesting against the introduction of "bond notes", a new domestic currency they say could touch off uncontrolled money printing and a return to hyperinflation. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe launched the notes on Monday with the goal of easing chronic cash shortages and supplement the dwindling US dollars in circulation. Intelligence briefings seen by Reuters said if the notes’ value crashed, President Robert Mugabe’s 36-year grip on power could unravel. About 100 activists from the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and the pressure group Tajamuka were chanting anti-government songs when police moved in to disperse them. The protesters also carried placards denouncing President Robert Mugabe’s economic policies. "Bond notes = Toilet tissue" read one placard, as others declared "No To Bond Notes" and called Mugabe, 92, "a limping donkey". Police confronted the marchers with water cannons and...
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