3 weeks ago
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Grenadians took to the streets on Thursday in a peaceful protest calling on the government to reject a request from the United States to temporarily install a radar at the Maurice Bishop International Airport (MBIA) and deploy US military assets on or near the island.
Independent legislator and former foreign affairs minister Peter David, addressing participants in the “Peace March,” organized by the Grenada Coalition Zone of Peace and Concerned Citizens, said, “We are here demanding that our region be maintained as a zone of peace.”
David told the crowd that their stance was not anti-American, stressing national and regional priorities. “We are not here to fight down anybody…we say Grenada first, the Caribbean first. We are here fighting to maintain peace. I have stated my position quite clearly. But we need you, the members of the community, the churches, the trade unions, the political organizations, all organizations, to come together on this issue.”
“This is not a partisan issue, this is an issue of sovereignty and integrity for the people of Grenada,” he added. “We all must be united on this.” David urged citizens to pressure their parliamentary representatives “and let them know where you stand…because it is when you bring that kind of pressure on them that they will stand up.”
He dismissed any suggestion that the matter reflects a bilateral dispute. “It is a particular trend in America with Grenada,” he said, noting that “seven million people demonstrated last week in the US. If seven million people demonstrated on the same issue in the US, what is a few thousand people in Grenada. We have a right to stand up for the issues that concern us.”
“So when you go back to your villages,…say we stand for something and we believe that peace is something worth fighting for, peace is something worth marching for, peace is something we all support,” he said, warning against complacency. “This is about nothing else, but maintaining our peace. We have experienced war before. We know what is war and we don’t want war on our territory.”
Suspended Roman Catholic priest Father Garrett Paul also spoke, telling the gathering that “there is nothing we should be doing this afternoon…but taking a firm stance.” He compared the situation to “a bully coming to your home and demanding that you leave,” urging the crowd “to put up a fight.”
“And that’s the situation we find ourselves in Grenada. An empire called the United States goes around with wars all over the world…but you know what Maurice Bishop used to say, a people united can never be defeated. We are going to unite, we are going to stand up against the mighty United States and give them a good cut tail and send them back to their home,” he said.
Some speakers argued that the US request is a precursor to Washington seeking to invade Venezuela and trigger regime change there.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said he welcomed the “raging” public debate, noting that his administration has not yet taken a decision. He said he would address the matter in due course.
“Nothing much has changed since the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that we were considering the request. We are still doing so. It is a technical matter and requires a lot of technical people to provide us with guidance on what it is we are being asked to accommodate,” Mitchell said Tuesday during his “DM with the PM” social media programme.
The U.S. government has increased its military presence off the coast of Venezuela, saying it is part of its strategy to combat drug trafficking to the United States. Washington has confirmed bombing several vessels and killing all but two people recently as part of the campaign.
Last weekend, the Guyana-based CARICOM Secretariat noted that regional leaders had earlier discussed the security build-up in the Caribbean and its potential impact on member states. The position from that meeting was not endorsed by the government of Trinidad and Tobago.
English (US) ·