MPs Approve Committee To Review Dec 2 Events
This evening [Dec 1], the House of Assembly approved a Motion to appoint a Joint Select Committee to review the events of December 2nd, 2016.
The Motion was brought by MP Kim Swan, and speaking after it was approved, the St George’s West MP told Bernews, “The House of Assembly this evening unanimously approved the Government’s Motion to appoint a Joint Select Committee to review the events of December 2nd, 2016.
“As the mover of this motion it was a humbling experience given the pain and suffering endured by Bermudians who were peacefully demonstrating against the airport legislation due to be debated that day.
“The Motion will now allow for a Joint Select Committee to examine all the events on that fateful day.”
The original Motion on the Order Paper said, “Whereas at the gates of this House of Assembly a show of democracy descended into open conflict between concerned citizens of Bermuda, and those charged with protecting the very rights they sought to exercise, on December 2nd 2016;
“And whereas the Government having declared its intention to establish a Parliamentary Committee to look in to the events generally, including the decision-making and any directives of the Executive and the then Speaker of the House given to the Police, that led up to and precipitated the events on that day, including the deployment of the police in riot gear and the use by the Police of incapacitant pepper spray on the crowd of citizens assembled;
“Be it resolved that this Motion for the appointment of a Joint Select Committee to carry out the said Inquiry into the said events of December 2nd, 2016 be approved and Thereafter, pursuant to Part IV of the Parliament Act 1957, that a Parliamentary Joint Select Committee be appointed [1] to inquire into the events as aforesaid as thoroughly as may be; [2] to bring closure to this event by the making of all proper and necessary findings, recommendations and where required sanctions; [3] and to submit its report to the House of Assembly within three to six months.”
Of course it was a approved but the findings may be embarrassing to certain MPs and Senators of the present Government. Be careful what you wish for.
I hope the slogan on the senators tee shirt will be part of the evidence. It speaks to his intent that day.
Quite right. This shouldn’t be about heavy handed police officers who were just doing their job in the face of massive provocation.
This should be about the trouble makers, the incitors – however far their position of authority goes.
‘Peacefully protesting’?! Thought we already had an inquiry into this? Or is this an inquiry into only one side of the matter at the tax payers cost?
The Police acted unprofessionally that day , with the blessings of the government . Bad government !
False facts lol
Just watch the video above. No proper tactics training. They literally ran into a wall of protesters.
None of those tactics would be deployed by any other first world action.
You’re right. Any “protestor” if you want to call the rent a crown that showed up here that, would have been handled more severely. can you imagine someone not moving when told to do so infront of the US Capitol or Brussels EU? please.
1st world action would have been tear gas and rubber bullets… I think the police showed restraint, the protesters should have all been arrested as parlement allowed into session…
If the PLP want an inquiriry it should include all parties including themselves and the union
Maturity of a six year old.
The House was illegally blocked and with the cctv available we can see the perpetrators
Kim Swan, the last of the UBP, tries to re-write history.
Here’s a clue Kim, democracy is the antithesis of demonstrations designed to prevent debate and it’s hard to reconcile attacks on police officers with the word “peaceful”.
And mean time OP leader Atherden appears to be trying to find certain people to put on the front line to replace the old whites guards of the oba/UBP.
Same old way of thinking UBP. You honestly need a third party as this oba.ubp party is a failed experiment. Fronting surrogates will not work anymore.
Gee I wonder how in depth this investigation will go
perhaps a little ONE sided i would think. Joint select ???should explain that one
what a crock of absolute s___ and waste of time. Anything to absolve themselves of inciting the public to DISORDER. Swan go back and cry me a river. you were no good as a UBP member nor are you any good now as a flip flop cry baby
Cha! That was a year ago?? Wow!!!
Well I wonder who would be worried about the dark coming to light?
we are soft boo hoo ers, however,sure lets get everything squared away with the oba be it real or perceived…following that, you can run the country and BS till your hearts are content cause fact will be facts.
We know the outcome. Wtf
Wonder if well ever hear the outcome of the port royal investigation.
Exactly! I’m more concerned where my TAX DOLLARS went than with a bunch who got what was coming to them
or the Lahey clinic suit
or the Lahey clinic suit or on and on and on
Do you blame the GUN for shooting the people in the crowd or the PERSON pulling the trigger?
Whose House is it? Is it the Speaker House or the Premier House? Who has the power to open and close the House of Assembly; The Speaker of the House or the Premier? Every major demonstration over the OBA term on the House of Assembly ground, the House was closed. What happen between the demonstrators and the police, nothing!
It’s so easy to blame the Police but not the person or persons who demanded the House to be open despite the size and the feelings of the demonstrators that gather outside the House. This Joint Select Committee is a waste of time because it likes investigating the GUN and not the PERSON who pull the trigger. They know who has the power to open and close the House of Assembly! SO STOP WASTING OUR TIME with all this smoke and mirror nonsense.
So, whose House is it? Once you have answer that question then you the person or persons responsible for December 2.
So your blaming the Speaker of theHouse? He was the one that made the decision that the house would sit!
A Hahahahahahahahahahahah……..classic.
It’s amazing how some of you scream out “it’s a waste of time”; others say “they had an inquest already”; YET the same ones, and plenty others, had no problem with the OBA spending oodles and oodles of money trying to destroy Ewart Brown! And look how old, tired and boring that got! What happened on that hill was a travesty!
ABSOLUTE BS THAT I DIDN’T HEAR ALL THIS NOISE WHEN THE LEGAL BILLS WERE MOUNTING IN RELATION TO EB…..I can only hope he doesn’t counter sue and Bermuda taxpayers don’t end up paying him off for eternity but carry on.
Seniors were pepper sprayed for crying out loud; for peacefully protesting! I also note there wasn’t any hostility or provocation for violence until the police arrived. Not everyone in this world agrees with one another but I found it unbelievable, on a small island such as ours, that members of the Bermuda Police Service had no problem pepper spraying seniors. I remember the late Mr. Crockwell stating how upset he was because his sister was in the crowd! Was he the only Member of Parliament who had a conscience of what was going on outside?! Do people really think members of society shouldn’t be upset that their grandparents were treated in such a way?! DO THE REPORT OVER BECAUSE OBVIOUS QUESTIONS HAVEN’T BEEN ANSWERED!
Are they paying you mate? They must be, because surely you can’t be falling for the lies they’re peddling.
Anyway yeah the oba spent what, a few million on looking into Ewart? How much did the PLP piss away during their 12 years in power? More than 100 times that amount, easily. And look at them again doing nothing but spending. The only cutbacks ive heard them talk about is to financial assistance. And you voted them in again?
I can only hope that Mr 2 Party Swans oh so impassioned plead on this looks at BOTH sides from the TOP down. Lets NOT forget the words used by certain MPs in the crowd designed to INCITE disobedience. The rhetoric used by a certain objectioning party. and LAST BUT NOT LEAST the MOB rule to deny OUR representatives to enter the house. Also please correct me if wrong but I never heard a single PLP member say the house should be entitled to sit and at that point DISCUSS the topic at hand. UNLIKE the DICTATORIAL GOVT sitting now.
You know what? We have more pressing things to worry about in our country right now. Spend our dollars on those – SERIOUSLY
still crying cause nobody wanted to be in a party under your leadership. Retire mate. You’re looking like dunkley right now.
This is ridiculous. We already had an independant inquiry, what are the PLP going to keep investigating until they get the result they want? How much are we paying this committee?
Exactly
It is ridiculous. The PLP leadership are intent on laying 100% of the blame for the events that took place on Dec 2, 2016, at the feet of the OBA.
On Dec 1, 2016 David Burt made a clarion call for the people go to the House of Assembly and protest. He also pointed to the demonstration on March 14, 2016 when here protesters blocked MP’s from entering the building and said this was an example where the OBA “wouldn’t listen and the people forced them to listen”. Therefore in my opinion, he and his PLP is just as culpable for what happened that day!
Lol more money being wasted smh
Poor Kimmy needs to feel like he’s contributing.
It’s quite clear that the intention of this Committee is to find fault with the Police. It’s clear that there will never be any mention of all the robo emails, WhatsApp messaging, FB messages by the PLP/BIU/PC to create chaos, confusion and anarchy. Mike DeSilvas and Fersons days are numbered. PLP plan at the end is to keep pushing anti-colonial Independence agenda.
A committee to review the police’s handling of people trying to STIFLE debate. Kim Swan etal what are you hoping to get out of this? If done correctly it will be the protestors and the people who lead them that are shown in a bad light.
Folks this is not Kim Swan’s idea, they need to get some of their MP’s in the spotlight, and well musky this has the potential to produce the wrong outcome ….that is unless you stack the box with persons who will give you the answers you want ….but be careful again you don’t want to fabricate stuff against the same Blue uniforms you will need to protect you later.
They need to investigate why only one guy pepper spraying a line of 10 spraying simultaneously would have worked wonders from the beginning
PLP wasting the “Peoples” money again! This is their way of getting back at the OBA.
I guess this part of their “Putting Bermudians (that support the PLP) First” campaign.