Prime Minister Allen Chastanet issued a statement Thursday on his official Facebook page, after police denied permission for a Black Lives Matter Event.
The event, a rally, was planned for Friday at Constitution Park in Castries.
Acting Police Commissioner Milton Desir, citing current COVID-19 protocols under the Island’s State of Emergency, conveyed the denial of permission for the event in a June 10, 2020 letter to one of the facilitators of the rally, Saint Lucia Goodwill Ambassador, Taj Weekes.
Prime Minister Allen Chastanet had his say on the matter in his Facebook post, which is reproduced below.
It has come to my attention this morning that a permit application made yesterday (Wednesday) for a Black Lives Matter protest in Saint Lucia was not approved by the relevant authorities—the Commissioner of Police in consultation with the Ministry of Health. I have since had discussions with all sides who have clearly articulated their respective positions.
While I fully appreciate the concerns about security, health and safety, especially while we remain under a State of Emergency situation, it is my view that Saint Lucia must show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. The disease that is racism, with all its ominous implications, must be resisted at every opportunity, and by all of us.
I have requested that all parties concerned pursue every possibility that would permit the Black Lives Matter activity to go on without contravening the established protocols. However, the final decision is the responsibility of the relevant authorities. From the moment the coronavirus was declared a life-threatening pandemic, we have at all times relied on and followed the guidance of the health and security authorities.
Let us all acknowledge that their advice has thus far kept Saint Lucia safe.
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