“Though the intention of the organisers was to achieve peaceful and well-coordinated protests, it would seem that fifth columnists and some angry persons infiltrated the ranks of the protesters to derail their laudable mission,” he said in a statement on Friday.
“I appeal to the protesters to withdraw themselves from their various protest grounds and to suspend the protests immediately and indefinitely, in order to give room for meaningful dialogue and engagement with the government.
“Given that the protests were said to have been hijacked by sponsored agents, it is necessary to avoid further losses and casualties.
“The organisers of the protests and their representatives should embrace dialogue with the government,” he said.
The lawyer for the Take It Back Movement, one of the groups that organized the protests, expressed regret over the deaths and losses that occurred during the demonstrations, emphasizing that this was not the intended outcome.
He offered his “sincere condolences to the employers and families of the security personnel, as well as to the protesters,” praying for God to comfort them and grant them the strength to endure these irreparable losses.