‘Take your hands off the BVI’, protesters tell the UK
Protestors returned to the Governor’s residence on Friday, November 14, sending what they described as a strong message to the United Kingdom: take your hands off the Virgin Islands.
The gathering, marking the second public demonstration last week, again centred on the controversial removal of Acting Police Commissioner Jacqueline Vanterpool – a decision that continues to fuel public outrage, sharpen political tensions, and widen the divide between residents and the UK-appointed Governor.
The protest drew political figures, clergy, civil leaders and residents who said they were standing not only for Vanterpool, but for the territory’s constitutional dignity and its right to self-determination.
“We will fight for our rights as Virgin Islanders” — John Cline
National Democratic Party President Bishop John Cline called the Governor’s action “unilateral,” “procedurally improper,” and a blatant usurping of the Police Service Commission’s constitutional authority.
“We want to send a strong message to Governor Pruce that we, the people of the Virgin Islands, are unresolved in our efforts to ensure that good governance exists here in the Virgin Islands,” Cline said, pointing to what he described as the Governor’s pattern of disregard for local institutions.
Cline framed the protest within a broader historical struggle.
“We are a proud Caribbean people of African descent. The British would want us to forget that they were the ones who captured us brutally, beat us, murdered our fathers, castrated our sons, raped our mothers,” he said. “Now you want to preach to us about human rights. But we will never forget their legacy.”
He argued that Vanterpool’s removal had “no lawful grounds,” adding: “Your unilateral removal of the acting Commissioner of Police without cause offends natural justice… We will resist every attempt of your constitutional overreach.”
Invoking Winston Churchill, the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister during World War II, Cline declared: “We will fight in the fields, and we will fight in the streets… But we will never surrender our rights as a free and determined people of these Virgin Islands.”
“Today it’s Jackie, tomorrow it might be you” — Willock
Former Speaker Julian Willock echoed the theme of resistance, insisting Vanterpool is both qualified and deserving of the Commissioner post.
“Jackie’s qualified, and she’s one of us,” he said.
Willock said many residents had privately shared fears of victimisation, and he accused UK officials of pursuing a broader agenda to reclaim control of key public institutions.
“Once they kick out Jackie, they’re coming for immigration, they’re coming for Customs, they’re coming for the financial secretary’s post. They want the ports… they will not stop until we are recolonised,” he warned.
Calling the matter both political and deeply personal, he added: “The cause is great. The cause is important because today it’s Jackie. Tomorrow, it might be you.”
“You have to come through all of us” — Skelton Cline
Talk show host Claude Skelton Cline accused the UK of “disrespecting” Virgin Islanders and operating in a colonial fashion that undermines the territory’s autonomy.
“We want to say to the United Kingdom: ‘You have disrespected Jackie. You have disrespected all of us,’” he stated. “To get to Jackie, you have to come through all of us.”
He argued that Vanterpool’s removal was part of a long-standing structural imbalance.
“You have taken the time to declare that you have not broken the law, and that is correct. But we want to declare that the law is broken,” he said, calling the current constitutional arrangement “immoral” and “unequal.”
Skelton Cline urged women in the Virgin Islands to speak out against what he characterised as systemic sexism: “Silence is consent to your disrespect. Silence is consent to your violation.”
He further described the UK-Virgin Islands relationship as “a toxic marriage,” adding: “We have marched here today to begin the filing of our divorce papers from the United Kingdom.”
The protests come amid widespread backlash to Governor Daniel Pruce’s decision to revert Vanterpool to her substantive post as Deputy Commissioner, bypassing the Police Service Commission’s recommendation.
The Governor has insisted his decision was lawful, rooted in the Constitution, and made in the interest of administrative efficiency. But many residents, politicians, and activists have condemned the move as disrespectful, unconstitutional, and indicative of deeper colonial overreach.
Public anger sharpened last week after Pruce defended his actions on a local talk show, prompting demonstrations at his residence on both Monday and Friday.
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A BVI MARCH with 7 people..must be a serious topic for the BVI
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I organized my own 4 person march
Endorsement from JW and CSC is akin to drinking from a poisoned chalice. Their backing is something that looks honorable but is ultimately toxic.
Most of these people have cases pending or investigations hovering over they, their families, or their friends. Using poor Jackie as a shield for when the hammer falls.
I was so proud to see members of the house of assembly and the esteemed it tells me that the people mean business yall
Truth be told, the members of the House of Assembly, particularly those on the government benches have made public spectacles of themselves. The Premier and Kye Rymer, both members of the National Security Council, reduced themselves to the role of useless instruments. They have shown us that they lack the ability to sit with the Governor and articulate their position. Great men of the past, such as H.L. Stoutt and R.T. O’Neal, would never have stood outside the gates of Government House in that fashion when they had a seat and a voice at the table inside.
When leaders trade their seat at the table for theatrics at the gate, they betray the dignity of governance. Stoutt and O’Neal knew the weight of a voice inside. Today’s actors squandered it outside.
I don’t know about Ralph Oneal because he made a mess of a lot of things. But one thing I do know when your hands are not clean or those around you, who you want to protect, you have no footing to stand on, even if the office you sit in gives you a certain amount of power.
One has to compromise. It is unfortunate to see these same people being voted in by the voters, and when they fail to perform or properly stand up to something that’s not in the best interest of the people, they wonder why.
But jackie aint ready for that job either. This shows it.
Silence speaks volumes . Less than 1% of the resident BVI population joined this march. Why? Likely take away is that 99% of us do not agree with it. More locals but less politicians turned out recently for the march against Cancer ! If anything the BVI public are getting angry with these news sites misrepresenting the truth . Truth is the Governor’s move was constitutional and the majority of BVIslanders agree that it is in their best interest to have the police force vetted which unfortunately Ms Vanterpool was unable to get done.
She took herself out when objecting to vetting of all officers. We cannot afford another COP who won’t enforce all of the laws all of the time and vet everyone of the officers, from top to bottom.
We deserve a law abiding Police Force, administering impartial justice; doesn’t matter if it is a relative, if they break a law they are ticketed or arrested!
Stop illegal scooter riding activities.
Stop illegal car tint activities.
Stop by having heads of Government Departments taking tint of Government vehicles. They are easy to spot they have the red plates GV.
There are a lot of illegal Government activities. If we cannot stop this most visible one, how can we expect to stop the kickbacks, money under the table, contracts for friends funds to bankrupt bank disappearances.
Let’s start there.
Ayo vet that white guy too
“Take your hands off the BVI” say about 50 people who went on a disorganised ramble through town. 216 people signed a petition to “To Take the Governors Hands off our ACoP.”
If we take the Preliminary Voters List 2025 it features a total of 16,204 Registered Voters across the Territory’s nine (9) Electoral Districts.
That means 15,988 Virgin Islanders did NOT sign the petition and 16154 did NOT join the walk.
WHY IS THAT NOT THE HEADLINE??
Democratically 99.69% of the people of the VI did not join the walk wanting the UK to take its hands of the VI.
Democratically 98.67% of the people of the VI did NOT sign the petition with containing the many statements about the ACoP.
In the VI, democracy functions only for Virgin Islanders and Belongers; others are ruled but not represented.
If we include the whole population (as they were all invited to join the march and sign the petition) then it becomes clearer that the people on the march and the people signing the petition do not speak for the people of the VI.
WHY ARE THEIR VOICES HEADLINED AND NOT THE PEOPLES VOICES OF THE VI.
Using 35,000 as a best estimate of the overall population (the democratic population and the ruled population) as there is no census information from the 2023 census.
0.14% of the population we on the march (walk).
0.61% of the population signed the petition.
THESE SHOULD BE THE HEADLINES!!
THIS IS THE MESSAGE FOR THE UK!!
HEADLINE
99.86% OF THE PEOPLE OF THE VI ARE HAPPY THE UK STANDS BY THEM.
I agree 100%
You are absolutely correct, perhaps the 99% should march and demand a referendum on more autonomy / Independence and get this put to bed once and for all. At the moment it’s just the government officials demanding this so it’s about time the people state what they want.
Keep your hands within helping distance if you please.
The US arms of all sort is in our neighborhood. We have willfully enabled drugs and criminals of all categories to enter the USBorders and to do as they please which extends to utilizing STTAirport as travel entrance and departur globallyto the rest of the World via mainland US.
We need your presence in these VI to afford us some semblance of having a reasonable offset for the deserving aggression and interference by the US,not withstanding the well deserved military and or otherwise presence and defense as response to our by the US to the uneighbourly actions by these VI.
Abslutely!
We need the UK to be our protection and guaranteed promise to the U S…
We have not been good neighbors tis true but the USA will,could resurrect for a second or more and attempt a resolution and not blow these BVI off the map as deserved.
An aside..The latest powwow with Madam Vanterpool and her ready ease to follow instructions by the local elected and
not the UK gives me Andrew Fahie vibes…won’t be surprise if there is a. Underground dealing with the local elected and as a result murderers are freely able to walk out of a prison on and sail away from the BVI 1 2 3 or maybe still here and being kept with the knowkedge and assist of the local Gov…I getting Andrew FHie underhanded vibes in this matter…?A well known hired killer do his bid find high day i.pn of John QPublc an simp,y evaporates within minute on a Lillie land as Tortola.?
What kind of political corruption is going on in the British Virgin Islands? What kind of public scandal is going on in the British Virgin Islands?
How bout being qualified to the job. These protestors do not that.
Has anyone bothered to find out from the current serving members of the force, whether they would like to have the lady as their leader?
What a pitiful lot!!
What a race baiting black supremacy freak.Still putting colour before merit.Claude great great great grandmother..She look like Ronnie them was one of the biggest wholesale slave traders know to this world..And Anne Frazer,and on and on…can’t escape your roots Claude.Mama Skelton..look it up.
this wouldn’t even make the local news up here, probably in the back of the newspapers with the tabloids
Protest over, agitation over, advocacy over, now what? Everyone goes home and continue to rant in their comfortable easy chair, lazy boy, etc. This is how the colonialist know you will behave , empowering them to execute their unilateral power , for they know there will be little, if any pushback. The BVI local community is a disunified, scattered, divided, polarized, etc, community which want change but are unwilling to fight, sacrificed , etc,, to effect change, They want others to fight their battles. They didn’t learn a damn thing from a) The Great March of 24 November 1949, where some 1500 from the length and breadth of the BVI protested the autocratic rule of Commissioner John Agudtus Cickburn Cruikshank ( 1946-1954), Noel Lloyd and Positive Action Movement of 1968, protest the Wickhsms Cay and 80% of Anegada giveaway by Administrators Stavely and Thompson, c) 1853 Cattle Riot , d) Christopher Fleming led protest against seizure of Schooner Bell-1890 and so on The protest needs to continue until the issues are properly and satisfactorily redress.
Another blogger, I think it was Rattler or B. Leonard, used the Boil Frog fable/ metaphor to describe the current situation in the BVI between it and the UK. At first I went WTF. Nonetheless, with further research , reflection , etc, I’m on board; there is something to it .
The bvi was fine and even better off before for decades!! I’m convinced these protesters aren’t even indigenous Virgin Islanders