Opposition hoists rusted metal roof after police confiscate flag

After police confiscated the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s flag in L Maamendhoo island, party members hoisted a rusted metal roof in its stead.

A Maamendhoo local said that police took down the flag on the night it was raised, on March 23.

On Tuesday, locals raised the roof on the same flag pole and hoisted it again after police officers took it down.

Maamendhoo has a population of 1,400 and all three island councilors are MDP members.

Authorities have been taking down the large MDP flags in the islands, even ones raised at campaign sites and on top of trees. This is in accordance with a regulation that bans flags from being hoisted higher than the Maldives National flag. The regulation was enacted by the ruling party, and some MDP members say that its sole purpose is to take down the party flags.

While police have been taking down the flags, the locals have been replacing them with flags just as large. Teams of officers have also been dismantling MDP campaign sites, but party members have been establishing other ones.

MDP began raising flags in the islands to protest the government’s refusal to implement the Supreme Court order on February 1 to release political prisoners and reinstate opposition MPs.

Maamendhoo councilors were also suspended for calling for the implementation of the ruling.