And the BCWJ intends to protest again tomorrow. However, as you heard their rep Emily Turner lament, they've been having a difficult time getting their protest permit approved. The NTUCB and the UDP have made similar complaints, stating that the police department gives them excuses as to why they're rejecting the applications.
Today the PM said that he isn't aware of the complications since, as he reiterated, he believes in the public's right to peaceful protest:
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"I don't know what you're talking about, as far as I know whenever they ask for to protest with always approved their protest and I don't know which protest we never..."
Reporter
"Lately a lot of their permits have been rejected."
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"I know from what I know about whenever they are there's hey that's right, but as long as then that you act within the law. When you saw the last time when the UDP was out there at BTL and Social Security trying to to disrupt and try to break up the place. That that should not never be allowed. But if you want to protest peacefully it is your constitutional right as a Belizean."
Reporter
"They didn't allow them in one case, the union, because the UDP had already gotten a permit for the same location and for that reason they denied it. Then in the case a yellow man charged, not charged but they noted on the suspect acknowledgement form being the member of a gang which that's a tactic the police was using so that he would not be out there and then in relation to the former employees they removed two days of protest from them based on an error for the police department on the bond."
"To me that seems like tactics they employ against the rights of demonstrators."
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"I think you need to have that discussion with the Police Department. I can't really answer all of these things, but I can repeat again that as a government we do respect the right to protest as long as you protest peacefully."
"When it comes to the former BTL employees, as I said Friday, and I will repeat again we discussed it in Cabinet, that we do believe that they will be paid and I am told now, that BTL will pay them the severance that was owed back then."
