SLP “DISAPPOINTED” AT DENIAL OF PERMISSION FOR BLACK LIVES MATTER RALLY

The Saint Lucia Labour Party is disappointed that the Authorities have denied permission for the staging of the Black Lives Matter Saint Lucia Rally which had been planned for Friday 12th June 2020 at Constitution Park in Castries.

The request to hold the rally was not granted on the grounds that it would be contrary to the terms of the COVID-19 Statement of Emergency regulations which prohibit mass crowd events. It seems that double standards are being applied with regard to the COVID-19 protocols since Government officials, and in particular the Prime Minister, have been openly acting contrary to these protocols by mixing with crowds at political events without even wearing a mask. This lax approach to the observation of the COVID-19 State of Emergency has already encouraged other citizens to be gathering in crowds for relaxation and entertainment purposes.

There could have been a more cooperative approach to the request, especially given the fact that the Prime Minister this week published a long letter of support for the Black Lives Matter Movement on his Facebook Page. It was to be expected therefore that the Administration could have worked with the organizers of the Rally to determine how it could have been realised while observing the relevant COVID 19 protocols.

The Saint Lucia Labour Party supports the objective of the rally and believes that this can still be accomplished.