Royal Barbados Police Thug Force – “We Do What Our Political Masters Order Us To Do – To Hell With Democracy & Duty”

Journalist Stephen Biko

CBC Reporter Jimmy Gittens Roughed Up, Arrested By Barbados Police

Nation News’ Editor Tim Slinger Roughed Up By Barbados Police

If The Police Don’t Want To Be Seen As Government Thugs – Then They Had Better Stop Acting As Such

Shot In The Back Of The Head By Barbados Police

Barbados Government Taking Lessons From The Best!

And finally… Only The Ownership Has Changed…

Response By Nation News Publisher Vivian-Anne Gittens “Weak. Not Good Enough. Lacks Leadership. Cowardly”

“CEO and Publisher of the Nation Publishing Company, Vivian-Anne Gittens, said last night that the company was also concerned that the police action against a NATION reporter and photographer, who were carrying out their duties in a public area, could possibly be seen as a threat to Press freedom.”… Nation News Publisher talking about reporters being thugged by Royal Barbados Police Force while covering a story at Queen Elizabeth Hospital (link)

Newspaper Publisher Says Police Action “Could Possibly Be Seen” As A Threat To Press Freedom ???? !!!!!

Oh please!

“Could possibly be seen…” ?

As in “maybe”, “if” ?????

That is all that Nation News Publisher Vivian-Anne Gittens has to say about this?

That is the sum total of her initial reaction in her own newspaper.

We will have much more to say about the actions of the police and about Gittens’ pathetic lack of courage and leadership, but for now the publisher of The Nation News should know that the comments at the top of this story are what her own people are saying about her handling of this violation of press freedom.

Pathetic.

Barbados Reporters Visit Queen Elizabeth Hospital – Arrive In Zimbabwe Courtesy Of Royal Barbados Police Force

The Nation News’ Senior Associate Editor Tim Slinger Roughed Up By Royal Barbados Police At Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Nation News’ Photographer Antonio Miller Manhandled By Royal Barbados Police

CBC Reporter Jimmy Gittens Roughed Up, Arrested By Royal Barbados Police

Our comments section is open folks. Barbados Free Press will be responding with an editorial later.

From the CBC… (link)

Newsman Arrested

A freelance photographer with the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation was arrested Friday night and charged with trespassing while on assignment at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Jimmy Gittens appeared in the District A Magistrate Court Saturday morning to answer those charges and is out on bail.

Thirty five year old Gittens of the Ivy, St. Michael was arrested at the QEH while covering the arrival of the injured from the bus accident in St. John.

Gittens appeared before magistrate, Deborah Holder and bail was fixed at one thousand five hundred dollars. He is expected to return to the District A Magistrates court on July 11th. Attorney at Law Michael Lashley appeared on behalf of Gittens. The law firm of Carrington and Sealy, employed by the CBC is also examining the case.

One of the attorneys says there are plans to file a counter suit against the Royal Barbados Police Force arising out of the incident.

Members of the journalism fraternity are also reportedly planning a protest.

From The Nation News (link)…

Pressmen Roughed Up At QEH

NATION PHOTOGRAPHER Antonio Miller arrived at the Queen Elizabeth (QEH) around 8 p.m. following a report that injured passengers in a two-bus collision were being transported to the A&E Department for medical attention.

He was confronted by security personnel who ordered himoff the compound, saying it was a restricted zone and there should be no photographs or video footage taken in the area.

Miller did not leave, and half of an hour later, three uniformed police officers arrived on the scene and instructed him alsoto leave the area.

“I identified myself as a media photographer and pointed out that I was not obstructing any proceedings and was just trying to do my job,” Miller said.

At this point, the police began to forcibly remove two photographers (Miller and Jimmy Gittens, a contract photographer with the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)) from the area, and subsequently arrested and charged Gittens.

Neither Miller nor Senior Associate Editor Tim Slinger –who was also on the scene and manhandled – was arrested
or charged.

Slinger arrived on the scene just after 9 p.m. when he too was confronted by lawmenabout his presence there.

“I explained to them that I was a journalist covering the bus accident. But they [police officers] completely ignored my explanation and ordered me off the compound as well,” Slinger said.

“They held on to me,” Slinger said.

Because of the police action, neither CBC nor the SUNDAY SUN was able to get any photographs of the arriving casualties. Thirteen people were injured in the accident.

When contacted, Acting Commissioner of Police Bertie Hinds said: “I am still looking into the matter. That’s all
I can say. Come Tuesday, I will be more apprised of the situation.

“If it needs an investigation one will be carried out,” he added.

Publisher and Chief Executive Officer of the Nation Publishing Company, Vivian Anne Gittens, said last night that the company was concerned that the police’s action against personnel from the NATION could possibly be seen as a threat
to Press freedom.

“My information is that our reporter and photographer were not obstructing the work of the police, but simply doing their job. I am anxious to see if there will be an internal police investigation into the matter.”

Second Article From The Nation News… (link)

ARRESTED! 

A CARIBBEAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION (CBC) CAMERAMAN was arrested and charged, while two NATION media personnel were manhandled by police officers at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) on Friday night.

The incident occurred when the media converged outside the QEH’s Accident & Emergency (A&E) Department to report on casualties arriving from a Transport Board bus accident at Bath, St John.

Jimmy Gittens, a contract photographer with CBC, appeared before Magistrate Deborah Holder in the District “A” Bridgetown Court yesterday charged with trespassing on the QEH’s compound.

Gittens, of Mayers Road, My Lord’s Hill, St Michael, was granted $1 500 bail after pleading not guilty to the offence and will return to court on July 11.

After his appearance, the photographer spoke of having to spend the early hours of Saturday morning in a prison cell before he was eventually released on personal bail around 3 a.m. at the Central Police Station.

The CBC photographer was represented by Michael Lashley, while legal counsel for CBC, Leslie Barrow, and Brian Barrow of legal firm Carrington & Sealy, held a watching brief.

Lashley said he was surprised by the action taken against his client by police, and called for Press freedom legislation to be enacted.

He hinted that his client would possibly pursue criminal and civil action against the Royal Barbados Police Force.

“There is some ground for cross charge and obviously we will send whatever correspondence on Tuesday to the COP [Commissioner Of Police] concerning this incident.

“I also call for a Freedom of Information Act because we definitely do need some sort of legislation to allow the Press to do what is necessary once their actions are within the parameters of the law.”

CEO and Publisher of the Nation Publishing Company, Vivian-Anne Gittens, said last night that the company was also concerned that the police action against a NATION reporter and photographer, who were carrying out their duties in a public area, could possibly be seen as a threat to Press freedom.

Gardin Democracy Visits Queen Elizabeth Hospital

A Word About Posting Comments… And Hello To Certain Ladies

Good Sunday Morning All!

The coffee is hot and thick and the neighbours have not yet started their Sunday routine of fighting with each other ’bout him coming in too late on Saturday night and smelling of other women after being “out wit de boys”.

This is the same couple we wrote about in April. Still living under the same roof more less, and still broadcasting their animal-like behaviours to all the truly disgusted neighbours near Grape Hall.

Some folks should call it quits and I have no idea why those two don’t, so I will enjoy this peaceful moment while it lasts.

Message to Lady #1 Near Grape Hall

Just Leave Him before your son and daughter decide that this is normal behaviour and how men and women are supposed to act. According to the life you are showing your children, a man is supposed to carry on out by himself every night and then slap his wife around when she asks why he smells of another woman at 3am. Women are weak and helpless and are supposed to take this behaviour for years but never leave.

You are teaching your children that this behaviour is normal because you are tolerating it. Your son will turn into the monster that his father is and your daughter will become like you. Pathetic.

We’ve all had enough and some men-folk round Grape Hall are starting to talk that maybe it is time to have a quiet little chat with your “husband”.

About Those Spam Comments…

Yesterday Barbados Free Press dealt with over 1200 spam advertisements that were aimed at the comments sections of various posts. Think about that. Although our spam filter grabs 99% of the comments and puts them aside so our readers don’t normally see them, the filter also grabs 10 or 20 legitimate comments per day so we have to read a bit of each filtered comment to confirm whether it should be trashed or placed onto the blog.

George sometimes has to put in three or four hours in a day sorting the good from the bad, and that doesn’t count emails – only comments.

We are all volunteers here and George and the rest of us do our best BUT readers have to understand that your comments may not appear for some time if the spam filter has grabbed them – or not at all if we miss your comment in the pile of two hundred spam comments.

SO….

1/ If you have written a lengthy comment (and some are very well researched – almost like articles themselves) please KEEP A COPY until you see it appear.

2/ Please DO NOT post duplicate comments or multiple comments once your comment has been “held for moderation”. Please.

Message To Lady #2

What do you want us to do with the specific comment that you have a problem with? Do you want us to simply delete it, or would you like us to delete it and explain to the world why?

Either one is ok with us – but from the tone of your last email you seem to think that you can control what the ordinary people of Barbados say in public about this or that.

From your series of emails to us it is also evident that you don’t realise that anybody can use any name to post on the internet. You must remember that even when a comment says it was posted by a certain person, it could be someone else using another person’s name. Both George W. Bush and Winston Churchill have posted on our blog, but I suspect that at least one of those two gentlemen might not have visited us.

The advent of the internet has changed everyone’s ability to use the courts to limit what others say in public. That is just the way it is. The world has changed and you are going to have to learn to live without being able to control what others say – whether their statements are fair or true or not. The authorities can no longer control public discussions about anything.

Learn to live with it. You will be happier.

Now… email us and let us know what specific action you want us to take. If you continue whining and threatening without suggesting what it is you want us to do, of course you will never be happy.

Yours truly,

Marcus