THE confrontation between police and NRPUP supporters in Kalingalinga raises an important question: why did officers interfere with a peaceful opposition roadshow during campaign time? From what we saw, the procession was moving peacefully until police attempted to stop it. That intervention created the tension. The firing of tear smoke was unnecessary, dangerous and out of proportion. In a densely populated compound such as Kalingalinga, discharging tear gas endangers children, traders, motorists and innocent passers-by. The injury suffered by a young girl illustrates that danger. She was not a political combatant, but a child caught....