7 News Belize

COLA Pres Says Referendum Resistance Won't Stop
posted (January 23, 2013)
And if today's launch was any indicator, they can expect to face opposition from COLA at a few of those events.

Today, COLA President Geovanni Brackett was kicked out of the ceremony, supposedly for being disruptive. It involved his supporters and him sitting in their chairs and showing their flags to the cameras.

7News caught up with him downstairs, and we asked him if the officers explained why he was being kicked out.

Here's how he described it:

Geovanni Brackett - President, COLA
"What happened, if you noticed, one of the officers came to me and asked me to kindly step out. Well, I said that I did nothing wrong, you understand. I don't have anything illegal on me, so I just went outside. When I went outside, the officer asked me, 'Mr. Brackett, I am hoping that you don't the activity and the presentations that are going on.' I said, 'Sir, I know you saw me raising up a flag, with a 'no ICJ' symbol on it. What we did is that the cameras are rolling around, and everyone knows that COLA opposes going to the ICJ. If these cameras show us just sitting there nicely, it appears that we are supporting. So, we kindly didn't say anything, but just silently holding up the flag for a few seconds that you all - you all just need about 10-12 seconds of B-Roll footage - I'm a camera man - and then you're done with the business.' He said to me that they don't want us to raise that flag again. We don't want to make any - I said, 'Sir.' I must say that the lady from the Foreign Affairs who came to us, she was the one to tell them to allow me to go back inside because she doesn't believe that I will disrupt anything. And it is true that I did not disrupt anything. Now, the only camera that didn't get any B-Roll footage of us was Channel 5. That's why, I told my guys to let us raise the flag again because want all stations to make sure that viewers know that we are opposing going to the ICJ. That was when the officer came back again from the right-hand side of the seat, and signaled to me, but I ignored the signal because I was so in-tuned with listen to what the message was - it's not that I support it. So then, he came on the other side, and he signaled to us that we have to leave, my Mr. Wil Maheia, and Mr. Cattouse. I said to him clearly that we did nothing wrong, and we won't move. He sent for reinforcements; that's when you saw 2 armed police officers came to us to move us, Belizeans with bullet proof vest. Mr. Ortiz, Mr. Mendoza, what have Belize come to when we will be removed with arms. I have never ever picked up an arm in my entire life. I only know that I have been fighting for this country. Belize dah fi we!"

Wil Maheia - Advocate
"I came all the way from PG early this morning, so that I can bring a message to the Belizean people that we cannot afford to roll the dice, because that's what they are trying to do. They are trying to roll the dice on our country. We cannot afford to gamble any sea or land, not a blade of grass, not a grain of sand. We cannot afford to gamble that with the ICJ. The OAS is not a friend of Belize. Incursions continue to happen along the border. I know that for a fact; I go to the border on a daily basis. I continue to see that there are incursions. If the OAS is serious helping Belize, help the Belizean military, and help the people in villages patrol their border."

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