Seven men who were arrested during a scrap iron protest in Claxton Bay were each granted $5,000 own bail yesterday.
They were held at Cedar Hill Road, near Temple Street, on Thursday night and charged with resisting arrest and disorderly behaviour.
The men appeared virtually before Senior Magistrate Armina Deonarinesingh in the San Fernando Charge Court.
When the magistrate read the charges to them individually, they pleaded not guilty. The men were represented by different attorneys, including CJ Williams and Frank Gittens.
Those charged were Keanu Cummings, Nigel Guerra, Shannon Edwards, Mark Ramparadath, Nigel Mitchel, Daniel Fabien and Richie Mungal.
The charges were laid by Constables Francis, Mohammed Mathura, Lange, Edwards and Lake.
The protests, which started on Monday, are in response to Government’s six-month ban on scrap iron and copper export.
A TTPS release yesterday said the officers, from the Southern Division Task Force, were on patrol between 8 pm and 12 midnight on Thursday, when they were alerted to a protest incident involving scrap iron dealers and workers.
The officers responded and arrested the seven men, who are between the ages of 20 to 41 and from the Claxton Bay area. Several other people who were at the protest eluded capture, the release added.
The men are expected to reappear in court on September 18.