The Government’s strategy is to announce an extension of the state of emergency (SoE), Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles has said.Speaking on Thursday evening at a People’s Nation­al Movement (PNM) meeting at the Bon Air West Community Centre, Arouca, with the theme “In Defence of the People”, she said the legal notice informing the public of no-protest zones, effectively preventing public demonstrations within 500 metres of 15 key State institutions, inclu­ding the Red House and Police Administration Buil­ding, was an attempt to “frighten citizens”.Beckles said Prime Min­is­ter Kamla Persad-Bissessar knew about the no-protest zones before they were signed by the police and made public on Wednesday.The rules come under a new Emergency Powers Order signed by Police Commis­sioner Allister Guevarro earlier on Wednesday.Protest organiser Alyssa Phillip was arrested on Wed­­­nesday afternoon near the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), along Richmond Street, Port of Spain, during a protest by supporters of Kaia Sealy who are demanding answers as to why she is facing charges in connection with the death of her husband, Joshua Samaroo, during a police-­involved shooting in January.Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar also on Wednesday criticised the pro­testers, accusing them of attempting to provoke the police and engage in publicity-­seeking.Beckles said, “I want you to go back to (Wednesday) when the Prime Minister was responding to a sche­dule of prohibited protest areas before the document even became public. And (Thursday), the police is now having a press conference to explain about it. That is kind of strange, so who really guarding the guards?” Beckles said.“They really feel the people of Trinidad and Tobago are dotish because they are crea­ting an environment where they want to justify another state of emergency, so we know very well that the state of emergency is due to expire in the next two weeks or so.”Beckles continued, “I want to ask you a question: is this a democratic country? A little protest (Wednesday) and the police came out like rain. Before you know it, they put up a notice restricting where you can go. And come two weeks’ time, we will be back in the Parliament for the extension of a state of emergency. This Government is now saying to the people of Trinidad and Tobago that you don’t really have any freedom.”Beckles said protests were citizens’ democratic right.“In Trinidad and Tobago, we have grown accustomed to the fact that when you cri­ticise certain things, it is customary for people to march and protest. I wonder what the trade union movement has to say about this. This is such a shame. As a matter of fact, many of the trade unions have marched to the Diplo­matic Centre. People are accustomed to protesting,” Beckles said.She continued, “Every right-thinking citizen of Tri­nidad and Tobago should understand that the concept we had of democracy and freedom of speech no longer exists under this UNC Government. When a Prime Minister begins treating peaceful citizens as though they are enemies of the State, every citizen should understand one thing: the nation deserves answers from Kamla Persad-Bissessar....“Furthermore, we have a situation where individuals like Alyssa Phillip and Jason De Silva are being arrested. This UNC Government cannot govern without a state of emergency because they have no crime plan.”Opposition Senator Larry Lalla also criticised the Gov­ernment for “leaving this country in a perpetual SoE”.Speaking at the PNM meeting, he said there were no laws in the country preventing public protest.“The law is clear. If you want to have a public meeting, you have to give the Commissioner of Police 48 hours’ notice in writing, and he can choose thereafter to do whatever he wants to either intervene to stop you or to allow you to go ahead. If he chooses to stop you, he has to give a proper reason,” Lalla said.He continued, “If you, however, want to hold a public march, you need his permission. We see circula­ting today an order made by the Police Commissioner banning protest from a list of buildings, including our Parliament. Well, I want to send a message to the Police Commissioner that that order is not a proportionate exercise of your powers under the emergency regulations of the state of emergency.”