COTONOU, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Young people from about a dozen movements in Benin on Saturday organized a peaceful march in the streets of Cotonou, the country's economic capital and largest city, to condemn the attempted coup of Dec. 7, Xinhua observed at the scene.
Setting off from Fidjrosse toward the Place de l'Amazone along a route of more than five kilometers, the demonstrators, estimated at over 5,000 people, sang and chanted slogans denouncing the mutineers.
"We say no to any challenge to the constitutional order in Benin," "No more coups in Benin," and "Beninese youth stand for continuity and the country's development," they proclaimed.
Placards and banners carried by the demonstrators bore messages such as "No to the use of weapons to seize power," "No to undermining democratically established institutions," and "No to violence as a means of political expression."
Gislain Guidi, national coordinator of the Network of Ambassadors for Development, reaffirmed the movement's unwavering support for President Patrice Talon and the defense and security forces that remain loyal to the constitutional order.
"We extend our respect, gratitude and admiration to the loyalist defense and security forces. Their vigilance, determination and professionalism helped preserve the constitutional order and spared the Beninese people from bloody and harmful excesses," he said. ■
