In Dominica Wednesday (May 18), there were two separate protest walks the organizers label Walking for Peace, Justice and Prosperity: the first in the usual venue, the country’s capital – the city of Roseau, and later that afternoon in the west coast Salisbury community.
At Salisbury, organizer Athie Martin denounced what he described as police armed with military weapons there, apparently with the possibility of targets being unarmed citizens of the country who were engaged in peaceful protests.
“I am coming here today, ready to mourn and memorialize and celebrate the courage and the fighting spirit of this community,as you have and the lady in there was reminding us, on at least four times that she remembers, the people of Salisbury were on the receiving end of military action,” he told the crowd. “And you mean to tell me that I come here today for peace, for justice, for prosperity and there are some folks down below at the police station who have come here to do what? To do what? Why don’t they come here to join the community? Why don’t they leave their guns at home? Why don’t they take away their tear gas masks? Why don’t they leave all their bullets at home?”
During the first walk those in the walk learned that Athie Martin had been served two summons to go to court the next day Thursday.
They decided to walk to police headquarters where the police quickly block the road to prevent them having access to Police Headquarters.
