‘We don’t want them to land on our land’
Prince William and Kate have cancelled a major engagement in Belize after villagers staged a protest over the visit and the UK’s “colonial legacy.”
The Royals were due to attend a tour of a cacao farm in Belize during the first full day of their Caribbean tour on March 20. However, the event has now been removed from their calendars.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge finally arrive in Belize! 🇧🇿
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Caribbean Tour is now officially started!
.#katemiddleton #duchessofcambridge #princewilliam #dukeofcambridge pic.twitter.com/sjLEFpMElg— 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐑𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 (@thewales_news) March 19, 2022
Will and Kate have today started their eight-day tour of Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee later this year.
Protests on March 18 at the Akte ‘il Ha cacao farm erupted over “contested property” between residents of Indian Creek Village and Flora and Fauna International (FFI), of which Prince William is a patron.
Image from today’s protest at Indian Creek, Belize: “Colonial Legacy of THEFT continues with Prince & FFI” (ref to Flora and Fauna International, in dispute over communal land rights) Photo from Maya Culture Belize FB pic.twitter.com/uYYYylSG4P
— Kate Quinn (@KateQuinnUCL) March 18, 2022
In a public statement, the Belize government said that the farm “was one of several sites considered,” but luckily,” another venue has been selected to showcase Maya family entrepreneurship in the cacao industry.”
Further problems were caused after the Royals’ helicopter was planned to land on a local football pitch, which village residents had not agreed upon, reports Belize news Channel 7.
Images on social media show protestors holding signs, with one reading: “Colonial legacy of theft continues with Prince & FFI.”
“We don’t want them to land on our land,” chairman of the village Sebastian Shol told the Mail Online.
“That’s the message that we want to send. They could land anywhere but not on our land.”
Prince William inspects a guard of honour #RoyalVisitBelize pic.twitter.com/gkZUQGZP8W
— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) March 19, 2022
Meanwhile. a Kensington Palace spokesperson said: “We can confirm that due to sensitive issues involving the community in Indian Creek, the visit has been moved to a different location – further details will be provided in due course.”
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