Prince Harry’s visit met with peaceful protest

A peaceful group of persons today took to the streets to hold a picketing demonstration because they felt the country would have suffered enough under the British colonisation which he represents.

The group might have been young and small in numbers, but their messages were loud as they protested just at the corners of Young and Parade streets, as the Prince was  making his way from the Commonwealth War Grave at Eve Leary, where he laid a wreath in honour of those who lost their lives during the two World Wars and the pre-Independence period.

According to one of the signs, the British empire was built on the backs of Guyanese ancestors and ended with #NotMyPrince.

One protester, Akola Thompson told News Room that she believes there has been a silence on the colonial legacy that Harry is attached to, and what he represents.

“We don’t really want to, we don’t a thing per say to grind with (Prince) Harry. What we have a problem with is colonization, it completely ruined our country, financially, mentally and we still have not recovered from that as yet and basically that is why we are here today; to bring a lot of attention to it because the majority of people, whenever we talk about it, people seem to have the belief that there is no real effect of colonization and we are here today so people know we have not forgotten” Thompson said.

Under the Colonial Era, Great Britain is recorded in history for importing some 1.6 million slaves from South Africa into the Caribbean between the years 1492 to 1810.

It is said that around the 18th century sugar was Britain’s largest import which made the Caribbean even more important colonise this part of the world.

The then British Guiana remained under British control until gaining Independence on May 26, 1966.