Lincoln Bain
Police said yesterday they arrested political activist and radio personality Lincoln Bain and four others and charged them with causing damage in relation to the tearing down of the fence that blocked access to the western end of Cabbage Beach adjacent to the Riu hotel on Paradise Island. Police said Bain and the other accused were released on police bail and will be charged before a magistrate on Thursday.
Protestors tore down the fence hours after the government advised in a statement that vendors would be allowed to access the beach via that pathway for a "period of time" while the government and the property owner sought to reach an amicable resolution. Bain told The Nassau Guardian that after his talk show on Friday, police called him and told him they needed to speak with him.
"I told them I would be right there and I went to the Paradise Island Police Station," he said.
The tearing down of the fence came one day after vendors blocked access to Sir Sidney Poitier Bridge, clashing with police.
After the fence came down, Bain posted to his Facebook page: "Today the people stood up against the establishment and won. The fence was torn down. I initiated it and the DNA (Democratic National Alliance) and vendors joined me!!! Never be afraid to stand up for your rights!!!"
Asked about his Facebook post, Bain said yesterday, "When I said I initiated it, I meant in terms of the call for it. Both the leader of the opposition and the leader of the DNA called for the fence to come down."
He added, "I started shouting out for it to happen and they (protestors) answered the call. Persons came there and they started doing it. I wasn't a part of the actual tearing down. I was there when they were doing it. On the video [the police have] you can see me walking past them while the fence is being torn down."
Explaining why the Free National Movement participated in a protest despite the government's statement, FNM Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis suggested the government could not be trusted. Prior to the fence being torn down, he said the FNM will "ensure the fence is removed". Minnis insisted that the move was not about politics, but to protect the rights of Bahamians.
"We are requesting that provisions are made for our vendors and taxi drivers, who are all Bahamians. This is now the people's time," he said. "We will not sit by idly and let government trample and walk over people."
Minnis said, "We are going to the beach to ensure the fence is removed. We will not take the government's word for it."
Bain did not seem bothered by the arrest when he spoke to The Nassau Guardian yesterday.
"I would be more than honored to be arrested fighting for the rights of Bahamians," he said. "I think the prime minister had called for the fence to be removed. The company had said they would do so; they would oblige.
"To take this to another level for a piece of fence that was not in use is overkill and it puts a further burden on people who have already been disenfranchised. It was just a protest and these kinds of protests happen all over the world. It has happened here. Sir Lynden [Pindling] and Sir Milo [Butler] threw the mace through the window [on Black Tuesday]. The government should let it go and leave those people in peace."
In a statement on Tuesday, Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Chairman Bradley Roberts blasted Minnis and supporters for what he called irresponsible actions. Roberts decried the vandalism of private property. Minnis, DNA Leader Branville McCartney, other opposition politicians and several union leaders were a part of the protest.
Roberts said Minnis "stands condemned in the strongest terms for his actions". He accused Minnis and supporters of taking advantage of the protestors for "cheap, selfish, political gain". "Apparently, no thought was given to the reputation of the country and the bigger picture," Roberts said.
By Candia Dames
Guardian Managing Editor
Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian
