Domestic Terrorism Bill targets brazen public violence

Barbados needs a stronger legal response to increasingly brazen and violent crimes in public spaces, Attorney General Wilfred Abrahams said on Wednesday as the Senate moved to pass the Domestic Terrorism Bill.

Abrahams told lawmakers that firearms had become the weapon of choice for criminals and that some acts of violence had become uncomfortably commonplace.

He said: “We keep hearing of instances where people are so brazen that they embark upon mass shootings. To see people resolve disputes between themselves with a firearm…is unfortunately too common an occurrence.

“The firearm has crept into our space as a weapon of choice. You don’t hear anybody getting chopped up no more…you hear people getting shot.”

The attorney general insisted the legislation was necessary because the circumstances confronting Barbados had changed.

“It’s time for us to stop depending on the legislation that governed the big rocks, and start to create legislation that governs and that properly deals with the circumstances that are confronting us now.”

The bill was narrowly focused on penalising acts of domestic terrorism and was not intended to address the social causes of crime, he added.

“This bill would make provision for the penalisation of persons who commit acts of domestic terrorism,” Abrahams said. 

“We’re not trying to address social issues in this because the government has a whole lot of other legislation that deals with social issues.”

He said the proposed law would create a separate offence for serious violent crimes committed in public spaces where the circumstances are calculated to instil fear or show reckless disregard for public safety.

“So if you decide to roll up in Sheraton Centre or a crowded public mall and open fire recklessly, then you are caught with this.

“The intention is to create a modern legislative framework that deters brazen public violence, enhances public safety, and provides additional sanctions for offenders whose conduct terrorises communities and undermines public confidence.”

Abrahams distinguished the Domestic Terrorism Bill from the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2002, which was primarily designed to address traditional terrorism and terrorist financing.

He pointed to a shooting in Silver Sands as an example of the type of violence the new legislation is intended to target.

“They did not care who else or what else was affected. They did not care about the district. They did not care about the children playing on the site,” he said of the gunmen, who allegedly fired dozens of high-powered rounds at one man.

Abrahams said the bill was “a very specific piece of legislation aimed at a specific set of persons, and aimed at a specific set of circumstances”.

“We have to hear the cries of Barbados. This is about protecting Barbados and Barbadians,” he said.

Opposition Senator Karina Goodridge (File Photo)

Opposition Senator Karina Goodridge urged the government to ensure the legislation reaches those directing and committing the most serious acts of violence, rather than disproportionately targeting lower-level offenders.

She said: “We have to ensure that the net is one that captures who it’s supposed to capture. 

“If I was a fisherman…and I want to catch a shark, I am going to lay down my net to catch a big shark. I am not laying down my net to catch no turtle or one of those small fish.”

Goodridge said the “big fish” the government should target are those responsible for the country’s most serious acts of ‘domestic terrorism’.

(SB)