STATEMENTS:

PRESS RELEASE
Prepared by the Islands of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism

April 16, 1998

VISIT OF SS SEABREEZE

The Government of The Bahamas is extremely concerned about the actions taken by a small group of individuals who breached the security area on Prince George Dock and approached the cruise ship, Seabreeze, on Monday to protest the arrival of a gay group aboard the ship.

Fewer than three hundred protesters had gathered outside the port area to protest the arrival of the ship at 8:00am and some time later, a smaller group attempted to take their protest to the ship’s gangplank but were turned back by the police without further incident.

The Government fully supports the right of peaceful protests as long as laws are not broken. The dock area, which was invaded by certain members of the group, is a secure area and admission is not allowed without security clearance.

We fully understand that the protesters are opposed to the position taken by the Government of The Bahamas on this issue and the Government reiterates its position in not discriminating against any group of visitors on the basis of race, religion, national origin or sexual orientation. While these groups have been coming to The Bahamas for decades without incident, it is clear that a number of persons in the community have decided to use this issue for their own purposes.

This was the tenth such visit of similar groups organized by this travel company, Olivia Cruises & Travel of Oakland, California to The Bahamas. They indicated the reason they continued to return was because of the heretofore friendly hospitality offered by the Bahamian community.

We want to make it abundantly clear that while this administration will continue to support the rights of individuals for peaceful protests, incidents of lawlessness and intimidation will not be tolerated.

Last year we welcomed 3.5 million tourists who spent over 1.5 billion dollars in our country and they came here because we promised them a friendly, welcoming destination. What occurred at the dock on Monday did not live up to the reputation that we have built up over the years.

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