And while the commissioner can't instruct them either...
And while they BSCFA didn't demonstrate today, the ComPol said if they wanted to, he would've permitted them. He was in Orange Walk yesterday ensuring the law and order was maintained, and he had the same expectation for today. But he also wanted to clarify that the police are not taking sides in this dispute.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"What transpired yesterday was the demonstration by the BSCFA and we just do what we needed to do in terms of policing the event and I know that some people were saying that the police were siding with the factory because we do have police officers at every entrance to the factory as well as on the highways but again we are not there to side with the factory neither are we there to side with the cane farmers. We're there to uphold law and order and as much as yes we have the BSCFA who is aggrieved and have said that they're to going to deliver cane to the factory, they cannot deprive the other associations who may wish to deliver cane to the factory from doing so and so we're just there to facilitate those cane farmers who may wish to deliver their product for them to do so in an environment that is free from obstruction so one, we are doing our best to ensure that there is no blockage to the factory and two to ensure there is no blockage on the highways. I am grateful for the support of the members of the Association, we have been in communication with them and they are very cooperative with the police, they have not applied for a permit to demonstrate today but I am hearing that they may wish to do so. The law is that you must give the police 36 hours notice of your intent to demonstrate. In this instance there certainly will not be 36 hours, there won't even be 24 hours notice but in the interest of good spirit if they were to come in and apply for their permits, we will grant them their permit to demonstrate."