First Wave Movement wants permission to burn police flag

First Wave Movement founder Umar Abdullah has postponed a public march which was expected to take place on Saturday, because he did not get permission to burn the police service’s flag.

Abdullah sought permission to hold a public march to take a stance against extra-judicial killings and to hold police officers accountable.

The group wanted to burn a replica of the police flag in front of the Police Administration building, Port of Spain, after the march. Abdullah applied for permission on October 13, for the march to be held on October 28.

On October 26, he received permission and a permit for the march from Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher.

However, he did not get permission to burn the police flag.

“The application as it pertains to the burning of the replica of the TTPS flag is hereby refused on the basis that such action has the potential to incite public protest and may occasion a breach of the peace or serious public disorder.

“As such, the application as it relates to the burning of the replica of the TTPS flag is refused in the interest of public safety and public order. To permit such demonstration provides no surety that persons will act in the interest of public safety and the law of the land,” the commissioner said.

The day after being refused to burn the flag, attorney Keron Ramkhalwhan, for the group, issued a pre-action protocol letter to the Attorney General and the commissioner, saying freedom of assembly was a fundamental right.

“The potential applicant posits that the burning of the flag is considered a form of symbolic speech which is protected as a constitutional right under Section 4 of the Constitution.”

The letter said Abdullah accepted that the commissioner has the authority to regulate free-speech activities to ensure public safety and order. However, Ramkhalwhan said any restriction should be “content neutral” and not targeted at the specific act of flag burning.

“The potential applicant has instructed that proceeding with the march alone without the symbolic act of burning the flag would defeat the primary objective of his demonstration.”

In a statement on Saturday, Abdullah said the march was postponed until the group could “secure full approval to conduct the march and burn the TTPS flag.

“We firmly believe that this act is vital to convey our message and advocate for justice, transparency, and an end to impunity.”

In the pre-action letter, the attorney said Abdullah had been approached by people from the Port of Spain and Western policing divisions complaining about potential abuses of power by the police and “unwarranted killings of young men.”

The letter also said Abdullah was able to get statistics from the police Crime and Problem Analysis Branch, on police shootings which showed between the period 2006- 2023, the police shot and wounded 868 civilians.

“This figure represents 648 fatal shootings and 220 non-fatal shootings.

“As it relates to these police shooting incidents, only 29 officers have been charged to date,” the letter said.