On Friday thousands of Belizeans marched on Independence Hill, the majority of protestors were there to oppose government's plan to take on the UHS debt. But while that was the reason for the protest, Friday May 18th will be remembered as the day of chaos on the Hill. There were police openly clashing with protestors, hundreds of men, women, and children being affected by tear gas, and the day when the capital city received a battering. Of course the day didn't start that way. Keith Swift tried to retrace the steps to chaos on the Hill.
Keith SwiftReporting,
The day began on the road to Belmopan with a convoy of buses on the Western
Highway. All were enroute to Independence Hill. And once on the Hill, the mood at 9 am was festive with the now ubiquitous drummers from Dangriga.
[Drumming]
That was until Assistant Commissioner of Police Crispin Jeffries pulled the plug.
ACP Crispin Jeffries,
"Escort them out of the area, escort them out of the area, out."
But that didn't silence the drummers, or at least not to Yellowman, especially when party leader Dean Barrow and other representatives greeted the frontline.
[Cheering for Barrow]
In the pup camp, which was kept behind barbed wires in front of the Administration Building, there was a smaller crowd and less energy. Party leader and Prime Minister Said Musa was the main speaker at a pre-House rally.
Rt. Hon. Said Musa,
"We are here today because we believe also PUP. [Cheering] The UDP, they are for hate. The PUP is for peace and love and we will go forward in that spirit, serving the people with your support."
After that stump speech, Musa flanked by three bodyguards - led his representatives - to the house. Notably absent were Cordel Hyde and Mark Espat. Musa entering the house ignited the crowd and elicited 'boos.'
[UDP Supporters Chanting 'Boo']
And once the House meeting got underway - the morning was essentially uneventful. The PUP supporters were safely hemmed behind barbed wires and beyond view of the UDP crowd. This was their chant.
[Chanting: Musa]
But on the other side of Independence Hill the mood was completely different. Call it festive but they had a marching band. The band's leader Luis Novelo
says they weren't here to celebrate.
Luis Novelo,
"We need to know what is going on. We as youths, we have to make them know that we are ready to make noise too. We won't stay quiet with everything they are doing us. We are young and thing but we know what is going on."
And speaking of music - the Garifuna drummers made a comeback and this time it was with that powerful refrain.
[Singing: We Want Our Money, Bring Back Our Money]
And while they beat the drums - others held placards -some more creative than others and then there were those whose t-shirts said it all.. But most, like this 76-year-old woman, told me that with her aches and arthritis - she came out here to be heard.
Woman #1: We don't have any and if they take that money from us, what will we have? We can't even pay our bills right now.
Woman #2: The government is playing with our money and they are trying to tell us that we have to pay a debt that we didn't occur personally so I made a stand to come out here because I am saying no.
Woman #3: I am a single parent and my son right here going to high
school and the drama we have to go through to try and get money to send him to high school and these people up there are just stealing our money so this is our cause out here.
Michael Young: With my bad foot, I came out here to express solidarity really with the people of Belize. We are simply not going to allow one man to dictate to this nation and that's the reason why I'm here today.
Woman #4: I came out here to tell the Prime Minister that we are not going to pay any debt. I am a student of SJC-JC graduating next week. I need a scholarship and I can't go and ask them for anything and I am advocating for the rest of the SJC students to come out here next week because we won't stop. Even if it is next week, we won't stop until we let the Prime Minister know that we are not going to pay any money.
A cause that for the entire morning was peaceful, so calm in fact that police recruits were put to man the frontline. But that was in the morning. After lunch the PUP supporters were sent home. But the UDPs were still energized especially when, again, their party leader approached the frontline.
[Cheering for Barrow]
But by 1:30 pm - we saw preview of things to come when these steps of the assembly were broken into pieces. Those rocks were eventually picked up by police. But if anything - that simply delayed what was to come because at about ten minutes
the first missile was thrown. It was a bottle which was followed by a succession of other objects which sent the crowd into a frenzy. The recruits retreated and the riot squad advanced.
[Rocks Being Hurled at Police Officers]
But instead of intimidating - they infuriated the crowd as more missiles were hurled. And while the crowd threw missiles, you can clearly see here a member of the riot squad was armed with a rifle - ready to retaliate - and another ready here beneath this tree. And he did when he opened fire on the crowd. It wasn't a real bullet - it was these rubber bullets. One hit this woman on her arm.
The UDP's Deputy Leader Gaspar Vega tried to intervene.
Gaspar Vega, UDP Deputy Leader
"I think it is contained already. I really think it is contained, the people are just frustrated and that's what happens when people are pushed to their limit."
But the crowd wasn't contained and things got uglier. Me and my cameraman Luis Munoz were singled out, and prevented form doing our jobs at the front line by Crispin Jeffries. And while Jeffries focused on us, and he assigned two officers to protect the police's cameraman, he forgot the thousands who were now riled up. To put it bluntly - all hell was threatening to break loose. And it might have even earlier, except that Jeffries was hurling defective tear gas canisters one after another. It's when he hit upon the effective ones that the crowd of thousands was sent scrambling.
[Release of Tear Gas, Crowd Scrambling]
But it didn't end there as the second
canister of gas was released and it was incredibly picked up and thrown back at the police. - and the wind wafted it into the Assembly chamber. It was during the ensuing chaos that Superintendent of Police Rudolph Orio was tackled by the fleeing mob as the squad advanced.
We spoke to some protestors affected by the tear gas. She said the tear gas is nothing compared to their frustration with the Musa administration.
Protestor #1: I am affected not only by the tear gas but by the $33 million. We are affected by all that.
Protestor #2: My eyes burnt and I almost vomited, all kinds of thing in one but Musa this $33 million, we won't pay that because we are angry out here like hell. I have three grandchildren and they won't pay that.
Protestor #3: I wasn't doing anything, I was right there and they stoned the thing.
Protestor #4: I won't cry for Mr. Musa. We need him to resign from his seat.
The protestors retreated and the riot squad advanced - literally chasing them into the market square area where they later wreaked h1avoc, and near to the lands office - where they again shattered windows. Jeffries was about to give orders to release another can of tear gas when leader of the Opposition Dean Barrow intervened.
Hon. Dean Barrow,
"We cut short the House meeting because we realize the situation which was getting out of control. But what has happened is entirely the fault of the Prime Minister of this country."
And after Barrow's pep talk, the crowd retreated into the Market Square area. Tempers were still high and some people vandalized the new market and the Ministry of Natural Resources. We spoke to one of the vendors
Market Vendor,
"I am trying to protect our market place because everybody is paying hire purchase so the people have no right to come and break up here. I don't see them having any right."
Keith Swift,
People are angry.
Market Vendor,
"I know they are angry but go somewhere else, don't come and break up our trees. Look at the trees, I got money in those trees."
But that didn't matter to protestors - nor did this spanking new government
vehicle which was vandalized and which protestors attempted to set on fire. They didn't stop and the riot squad continued their advance and drove just about everybody out of the market area.
The BDF's riot squad was called for backup and they advanced on protestors who were in the area of the Belmopan Police Station and post office.
In the end law and order prevailed and crowd was dispersed. Calm was later restored to a battered capital city. There was also an uneasy calm in Belize City. The entire downtown area was shut down - all businesses were closed and there was no one in sight - other than of course at the Belize Bank which, along with its own security guards, had special protection.
One police officer and one BDF soldier were hurt. Police say three people have been arrested and charged but they expect to charge more.
7NEWS produced for broadcast by News Director Jules Vasquez
Edited and Prepared for the internet by Keith Swift
