Almost 2 000 people, mostly dressed in white, took to the streets of Bridgetown this morning to show their disapproval of mandatory and coerced vaccination in Barbados.
They walked from Pelican Village to Independence Square in about 40 minutes.
The walk started at 9 a.m. and along the journey, some people carried placards while others shouted “We have rights”, “We ain’t taking the vaccine” and quoted lyrics from Bob Marley’s Stand Up For Your Rights.
Motorists honked their horns in support of the activity as the walkers passed through lower and upper Broad Street.
At the end of the route, student minister of the Nation of Islam, Abdul Rahman, who is a part of the organising body of the walk – the Barbados Concerned Citizens Against Mandated and Coerced Vaccination (BCCAMCV) – gave a speech and shortly afterwards police asked the crowd to disburse just before 10 a.m.
However, a large section of the crowd decided to extend the protest.
Hundreds of people left Independence Square, heading to Jubilee Gardens, where they circled and went onto Tudor Street.
A number of police officers followed the group.
The walkers eventually ended up on Harbour Road where two of the popular members of the Rastafarian Progressive Movement – Lumumba Batson and Emmanuel Beryllia – were pulled aside for a few minutes.
A swarm of police officers arrived at the scene including members of the task force.
After pausing in that area for a while, the walkers continued to Pelican Village, where they eventually dispersed. (SB)
