Protest at BTL Turns Confrontational as Crowd Breaches Compound

Tensions boiled over in Belize City today as a protest against a proposed business acquisition turned confrontational outside Belize Telemedia Limited.  More than a hundred demonstrators, led by opposition figures and joined by union members, forced their way into the BTL compound on St. Thomas Street amid mounting concerns over the proposed acquisition of SMART.  Police were deployed, tempers flared, and the protest unfolded.  Richard Herbert was at the protest and filed the following report.

To clarify, while the BTL Board meeting did proceed today, the separate meeting with the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where the proposed SMART acquisition was expected to be discussed, did not take place.  Additionally, no deal was signed, and no provisions were approved.  The opposition, however, has made it clear that today’s protest was only the opening move in what could become a prolonged political and industrial battle.  We will continue to follow developments.