Georgetown, (Stabroek News):

Stabroek News on Monday protested outside the Commonwealth Finance Ministers' meeting over the Government's withdrawal of state advertising, but its employees were prevented from holding placards in what Editor-in-Chief David de Caires said was a breach of its democratic right.

The protest planned for out-side the Guyana International Conference Centre was to draw international attention to government's withdrawal of ads from the newspaper a year ago.

The picket was meant to coincide with the meeting of officials preparing for the opening of the Commonwealth Finance Ministers' Meeting, yesterday at the National Cultural Centre.

Proper notice

Reacting to the police restrictions, de Caires said that "it was wrong preventing us from demonstrating our concerns. We had given proper notice under the Public Order Act." He said he asked the police to explain why the newspaper could not picket outside the conference centre, but he was given no credible response.

He added, "It is part of our standard democratic right to run a peaceful picket on the road outside the conference hall and not three hundred yards away in the same manner that people picket outside the White House and parliaments."

On arrival at the barriers, the Stabroek News demonstrators were told that they would only be allowed to picket some 300 yards away from the conference centre and objected to this, with one saying that the action was "a breach of our democratic rights. We are not a threat to security in any shape or form".

While permission was not required to hold a peaceful picket, de Caires said Stabroek News nevertheless informed the police about a week ago of its intention to picket yesterday. The restrictions, he said, pointed to a dangerous regression here.

Despite repeated attempts, Stabroek News was unable to contact the Commander of 'C' Division, Leroy Brummel, for an explanation of the police's decision to ban the placards.

Eventually, the police allowed some of the picketers on the road outside the conference centre, but without their banners and placards. Others remained 300 yards away holding the placards and the banners. Deprived of their placards, those outside the conference held aloft copies of Stabroek News to chants of, among others slogans, "Press Freedom - under attack", "One year - too long", "Conduct a study - Restore the ads."