Chaos Erupts as Prime Minister Avoids Frustrated Protestors

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – A chaotic scene outside the House of Assembly this morning as public servants waited to hear from Prime Minister Philip Davis, just as they did last week about their long-delayed salary review.

But tensions flared when the prime minister was rushed away by police, leaving protesters frustrated and demanding answers.

Flanked by a heavy police presence, Prime Minister Philip Davis was escorted through Bank Lane and quickly taken away from an angry crowd.

Protesters had marched from Market Street and waited in the hot sun for hours hoping to hear directly from him.

In his national address Tuesday night, Davis promised to speak “directly to workers” without a middle man and called for unity over grandstanding.

But that message did little to calm frustration.

Union leaders met with the prime minister on Monday, warning they’d return to Parliament Square if they didn’t get answers. A follow-up meeting set for Tuesday was canceled.

At the center of it all: outstanding pay increases for public servants.

After the prime minister left, union president Belinda Wilson said this:

Belinda Wilson – President, BNATUC
“The prime minister has not addressed the people, and he cannot hide behind a camera lens. He must come and face the people.”

The union is calling for retroactive pay to September 2024 and a pay date in October.

Protesters made their frustration clear:

Protester 1
“The prime minister said that he wanted to speak to the people. The people waited for him to speak to us, instead, we got the backs of the vehicles.”

Protester 2
“This can’t be the same person who said he was giving us the money out of the goodness of his heart. I want to know where his heart is in his foot? His heart was in the pedal, because one inch more and I was getting hit.”

One public servant told us she supported this government … but next election, she says she plans to take her grievances to the polls.

As for what’s next, Wilson says the union isn’t backing down.

Belinda Wilson – President, BNATUC
“We now have to go back into our arsenal and everybody needs to stay tuned.”