BELIZE CITY, Thurs. July 25, 2019– Monday, July 22, marks 100 years since the Ex-servicemen Riots in Belize, and still, the historic event is hardly a topic of discussion in the streets of our country. In 1919 many Belizean men who served in World War I under the British armed forces returned home feeling disrespected and disregarded.

Their battle was not limited to the war zone, but included their struggles among their own fellow soldiers who displayed acts of racism and intolerance. To compound their hardship, their salaries for their services were being delayed following their return from war — a final straw that became too much to bear for the 340+ men who risked their lives at war.

On July 22, these disgruntled ex-servicemen began to storm old Belize Town, rioting in protest of the ill-treatment they had faced and were still facing during that time at the hands of the British. The riots steadily gained mass support, until over 3,000 residents marched in solidarity with the veterans.

The riot raised enough alarm to cause Britain to dock a warship in British Honduras with a US gunboat following closely behind days later. To date, the riot is one of the largest uprisings in Belize’s history, and the UBAD Education Foundation (UBAD is an acronym for the United Black Association for Development, a local black consciousness organization in Belize whose president was Amandala publisher, Evan X Hyde) teamed up with their partners at the Image Factory, led by Yasser Musa, to raise awareness on the gravity of what had been done a century ago and commemorate this historic centenary.

Social activist YaYa Marin Coleman, alongside other prominent activists, spearheaded a two-day demonstration starting with a ceremony at the Battlefield Park, where the names of the ex-servicemen were recited and an African libation was conducted.

The ceremony was followed by a march retracing the steps of the ex-servicemen with whistles and outcries starting at Albert Street, coming back towards Swing Bridge via Regent Street, and ending on the intersection of North Front Street and Queen Street.

While demonstration day 1 was conducted to emphasize the social importance of the 1919 riots, day two was done to highlight the importance of another issue that is seen by UEF and the Image Factory as a regressive step in our society.

At the northern foot of the Swing Bridge, where the Paslow Building once stood, a new building is being erected. (The Paslow Building was destroyed by fire in 2002.) The building, which authorities have said will be called “Paslow Plaza”, is being constructed under the House of Culture and Downtown Rejuvenation Project funded by the Government of Belize and the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF).

The Paslow Plaza is seen by YaYa and other activists as a glorification of Thomas Paslow, a documented slave-owner who resided in Belize and committed many acts of atrocities to his unpaid laborers in his time.

Although many of us who are alive today did not have a say in the naming of Paslow Building, Yaya believes we have a chance today to divert from repeating our past mistakes. In her statement to the media, she asserted that: “when people don’t know their story, they are bound to repeat the atrocities of the past”.

This powerful message eventually rang through, because on Thursday, the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation issued a statement announcing an online contest to name the new building that will be erected at the corner of North Front Street and Queen Street.

The statement invites the general public to enter their submissions by Friday, July 30. The prizes for 1st to 3rd place are $800, $600 and $400 respectively.

This came in the wake of YaYa’s announcement on Tuesday of her intentions to disseminate an online petition to change the potential name of the new two-storey building being erected. The petition will no longer be necessary.