Barbados Prime Minister Calls for National Unity Amid Surge in Violent Crime

Prime Minister Mia Mottley has urged Barbadians to pause for five minutes on Saturday at midday in a symbolic gesture of national unity and peace-making, amid a surge in violent crime that has seen homicides nearly double compared to last year.

In a national broadcast on Monday evening, she urged residents to STEP up whether they ‘see, touch, engage or participate’ in a united effort to restore peace to Barbados.

Mottley called for the brief halt, even during Crop Over festivities, to reflect on the need for a peaceful Barbados.

“I ask now every Barbadian, each of us, to pause for five minutes this Saturday at midday, for silent reflection wherever we are, whatever we are doing, other than of course the essential services,” she said.

“I know it is Crop Over,” she said, “and I know it is Kiddies Kadooment, but it is important that we pause and reflect for five minutes, even in Kiddies Kadooment at midday, to send a signal that the majority of us want to build the common peace. We want a peaceful Barbados and that we are committed to stepping up and putting in the hard work towards it.”

The prime minister’s appeal comes as Barbados grapples with a significant increase in homicides, with nearly 30 recorded so far this year, more than double the total for 2023. Mottley emphasised that authorities will not surrender to “a handful of individuals who seek to cause panic in the country”.

She announced no new policy initiatives to stem the tide of violence or address its root cause but highlighted gang activity, drug abuse, and the impact of social media and violent video games on youth. She called for a renewed focus on moral and religious education, stating: “We must immediately address the absence of religious and moral grounding of our children.”

The prime minister also urged Barbadians not to turn a blind eye to crime in their communities.

“By closing our eyes and remaining silent we are indirectly authorising its indiscriminate and unlawful use,” she warned.

Mottley called on various sectors of society to play their part in combating violence, including summer camp leaders, religious institutions, and community leaders. She stressed the importance of teaching children “the basic difference between right and wrong and the need to respect human life”.

She also addressed the need for modernising the criminal justice system and increasing the efficiency of the courts, acknowledging that the current system is “caught in a 19th/20th century position”.

In her appeal for national unity, Mottley reminded Barbadians of their history of coming together in times of crisis.

“But my friends, we must now come together again to confront the tendency towards violence in this country, a violence driven by anger very often and the inability or unwillingness to resolve conflicts peacefully,” she said.

The prime minister’s call to action includes a request for religious services across the island to offer prayers for those affected by violence and for the strengthening of resolve among citizens. She also suggested that radio and television stations play appropriate music for reflection during the five-minute pause on Saturday.

Her message emphasised the need for collective action and a recommitment to the values that have traditionally defined Barbadian society.

“Where we must step up individually and collectively is in our commitment to take back our common peace in Barbados and to show love and respect to one another,” she said.

She identified a range of issues contributing to the rise in violent crime, including mental health challenges exacerbated by COVID-19 restrictions, the influence of social media, and the desensitisation of youth to violence through video games and other media. But she also expressed particular concern about the prevalence of guns and drug abuse.

Urging citizens to be vigilant, she said: “If the bulging pocket in your son or your grandson’s or granddaughter’s or your best friend’s pocket looks like a gun, is shaped like a gun, it bulges like a gun, my friends it is most likely a gun.”

The prime minister also emphasised the importance of addressing drug abuse: “We have to confront this issue of the illegal carrying and use of guns in our country and the escalating use and abuse of drugs and alcohol, not just drugs.”

In her call for community involvement, Mottley encouraged Barbadians to speak up when they see signs of wrongdoing.

“Better to open your mouth now and talk,” she advised, “than to hold your belly and bawl.” However, she cautioned against vigilantism, stressing that justice should be left to law enforcement and the courts.

The prime minister’s address acknowledged the grief of families who have lost loved ones to violence. She mentioned a recent vigil, saying: “I saw the picture, the powerful picture today, of the three mothers in white as they carried their vigil out yesterday evening. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and all of the others who have lost family.”

Mottley’s speech also touched on the need for a balanced approach to technology use among young people. She called for monitoring and limiting “excessive” screen time and exposure to violent content, noting that children are “spending hours on these devices, pausing only to eat and to drink and returning to the games where they have been killed multiple times for the day already.”

The prime minister’s address aimed to rally all sectors of society in the fight against violence. From religious institutions to summer camps, from families to community groups, Mottley emphasised that everyone has a role to play in restoring peace to the island.

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb