There were chaotic scenes within the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa [C.C.C.S.] Hall at Mulinu’u on Thursday as frustrated members of the public tried to get past police and security guards to register as voters.

The crowd had been building outside the hall as early as 4am on Thursday with some of them standing outside for over 10 hours, their patience gradually running out to turn to anger, resulting in them breaking four glass doors.

Some of them shouted: “Let us in, we are dying, do you have minds? We’re being treated like animals let us in.”

The Police officers and security guards present in the hall, who tried their best to keep the peace and to keep the youngsters at bay, were shouted at and cursed by the crowd.

Members of the Fire and Emergency Services [F.E.S.A.] were also at the scene.

Nonetheless the authorities could not handle the crowd and only offered advice and urged them not to enter the hall from the main entrance.

Pregnant mothers, children, and the elderly were given way through the doors to enter the hall while the rest of the crowd waited outside.

Some of the members of the public were injured by the broken glass doors, leading to the F.E.S.A. workers taking them into a treatment room to attend to their wounds.

Close to 10 people in the crowd fainted and were taken in by the Red Cross officials to be attended to or sent home by their relatives. 

Attempts by the Samoa Observer to get comments from police officers who were at Sogi on Thursday was unsuccessful as they are not authorised to speak to the media.