CASTRIES, St Lucia  – A request for a “Black Lives Matter” rally that was to be held on Friday has been turned down by the police.

St Lucia’s acting Police Commissioner, Milton Desir, in a letter on Wednesday lst week, informed the Goodwill Ambassador, Taj Weekes, who was helping to facilitate the rally, of the decision.

In the letter, Desir pointed to the Emergency Powers (Disasters) (COVID-19) (Curfew) (No. 8) order 2020 and said it placed restrictions on social activities.

In an interview with the St Lucia Times newspaper, Weekes said that it’s “unfortunate that they cannot see the necessity of a march at such a time.”

Weekes said that while he understands the COVID-19 protocols, a conversation was not allowed regarding how the organisers could have made the event possible.

The advocacy group said the peaceful protest was planned as a show of solidarity with the movement against police violence and racial injustice that has been sweeping the United States and the world.

The movement was sparked by the police killing of George Floyd, an African-American man during an arrest in Minneapolis on May 25.