Church leaders, students protest against firing of Bain

KINGSTON, Jamaica (Jamaica Gleaner) – Church leaders clad in black as well as students of the University of the West Indies (UWI) and other Jamaicans yesterday morning stepped up their protest against the dismissal of Professor Brendan Bain as director of the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Resource Training Network (CHART) by the UWI.

The protesters want the UWI to issue a public apology to Professor Bain and Jamaicans.

Among the protesters outside the UWI, Mona yesterday was the 88-year-old, former Member of Parliament OD Ramtallie who has been hit hard by three strokes over the past three years.

Ramtallie said he felt so strongly about Bain’s dismissal that he had to make his way to the gate of the UWI.

Noted church leader Bishop Wellesley Blair declared today that he would rather “die than switch” as he joined a swelling throng protesters.

Well-known public commentator Richard Dickie warned that the gay community was likely to soon be calling for the resignations of Prime Minister Simpson Miller and other government ministers.

Throngs of UWI students lamented that they were in mourning over the death of free speech in Jamaica.