Showers put damper on Black Lives Matter beach protest

Heavy showers washed out today’s Black Lives Matter beach protest, but organizers say they will be returning to the Maxwell Beach, Dover, Christ Church, adjacent to Sandals Hotel, to protest against what they claim to be the hotel’s efforts to block locals from accessing part of the beach.

The event was organized by General Secretary of the Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration (CMPI) David Denny, and the 13th of June 1980 Movement headed by noted attorney Lalu Hanuman.

Denny told Barbados TODAY that despite the showers, he and Hanuman spent some time at the location where they waited to see if they would be joined by other protesters who did not show up.

“Because of the rain people did not come out, because the track to get to the beach was too full of mud. But we turned up at the beach next to the hotel and while we were there we were able to look at the situation relating to the beach access and there is no real beach access. And then we saw a number of signs that have been placed on the beach to deny Barbadian people access to the beach next to Sandals,” Denny said.

“We are going to continue to protest against this kind of behaviour because it is not accessible. Therefore, we as Barbadian people must be able to have access to our beaches.

Denny said the two organizations intend to host another protest action at that location, for the same cause, possibly before the end of the month. (AH)