VIDEO: Barbudans protest new housing development

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Barbudans Protest Housing Project Amidst Tensions with Riot Police

Barbudans have staged a protest against an ongoing housing project on the island, accusing authorities of heavy-handed tactics and infringement on their ancestral land.

The demonstration, captured in video footage, highlights the community’s longstanding resistance to developments they say threaten their traditional landownership system.

Footage from the protest shows residents confronting an armed riot squad deployed to the area.

One protestor, speaking directly to the officers, said, “We’re not giving this up. This is our land. You want to fire that weapon? Go ahead. Take your best shot.” The crowd expressed defiance, with some describing the situation as “pure intimidation” and likening it to historical struggles dating back to the 1960s.

The protestors argue that the housing project undermines Barbuda’s unique system of communal landownership, a practice enshrined in law and deeply rooted in the island’s cultural identity. “This is 2025,” said one demonstrator. “What’s happening here is ridiculous. We will not back down.”

Barbuda’s communal land system has long been a source of contention between residents and successive governments, particularly after Hurricane Irma devastated the island in 2017. Efforts to introduce large-scale developments have sparked widespread opposition, with critics claiming they prioritize private and foreign interests over the needs of Barbudans.

The presence of armed police has drawn criticism from human rights advocates and raised concerns over the handling of the dispute. Protestors warned officials that the situation is being closely monitored by media and international observers.

Authorities have not yet commented on the protest or the allegations of intimidation. The housing project remains a divisive issue, with residents vowing to continue their fight to protect what they see as their birthright.

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30 COMMENTS

  1. Barbudians are so behind of time . They don’t want to move forward in anything. They were against the hotel and the same hospital giving people work . They wanna be stagnant. Come antigua and buy our lands but don’t want us to have anything that belongs to them

  2. You sound so dunce! Pray you don’t ever have to go through anything like what the Barbudans had to go through and is still going through. You talk about not helping if or when a time comes, be careful of what you wish for.

  3. As i always say,man made constitutions, and God gives laws,so a constitution policy can be change at times, once it is about national development….

  4. Barbudans want to live without foreign investment…None of them have resources to build anything..Plus have no skills to create things…Check every single aspect of economic..About the skill of human resources that is needed to administrate a government and to do things…With near 1700 population what you think you can archive today? Nothing. ..I have to laugh when they said they sell lobster, fish and sand…Imagine…The biggest asset they have is being a Caribbean island and they can provide services related to tourism..Cruising, Yatch, hotels, that is the biggest attraction of the Caribbean a d this fellas want to do anything against that…You can ho now to Barbuda and ask for 100 workers in hospitality industry or Yatch services and you cannot find them…Ask Barbudan how many of them know how yo run a travel and tourism agency…So you need foreigners to bring funds and skills to grow the island…If not, you will be living in a prehistoric age. Look why develop countries grow…Because they have a huge humans resources moving between them. That is how new ideas and business can grow..

  5. @Carlos
    You have layed out your ignorance which shows that you know other way the servitude economy.
    Anguilla had kess than 2,000 inhabitants when it fought off St.Kitts. Its approximately the same size as Anguilla. Senator Nedd the ALP senator in her budjet debate says their are 3,000 prople in Barbuda.
    Today Anguillans has the highest standard of living in the Eastern Caribbean.
    The few people living in suststandard housing in Barbuda are not Barbudans. They sre Interlopers from Antigua and Jamaica.
    Take the time to be informed. Barbudans are not inclined to clean tiolets and wait tables. Barbudans does not view those poverty wages low paid hotel jobs as economic adcancements.
    You should like others should be asking: if Barbudans dont need the houses who are they for? Two hundred houses (200)and a mall. The typically mall is over 200k square feet serving 300k people.
    Evendently you did not grt the nemo that travel agents have vecome a dieing breed since the internet 40 years ago.
    We say: STOP THE STEAL !!!

  6. @Dexter Pelle,
    You evidently have not read the Privy Council Ruling but have. Its ssys nuch nore in support of communal rights than is veing offered up by Cutie snd Gaston.
    Read it in it entirely and don’t depend on the Central Government misinformation

  7. I see only a handful of goats their being led to the slaughter. They still chanting the same myth, “OUR LAND” when they went all the way to the Privy Council to get gthe verdict that the land is not theirs to begin with. It is CROWN’s Land. Which means whomever is the government has a say about the land. Is is so hard for them to come out of that myth they have believed for so many decades. Brainwashing someone is not easy. Our people over the many hundred years have been going through that brainwashing as well. Some still have their brains in shackles. Free yourself from mental slavery, none but ourself can free our mind.
    Their must be a public order act that Trevor Walker can be arrested under. The same way they arrested Lone Wolf, Vere Bird iii and Jim Galloway for protesting. He needs to be taold a lesson and stop his nonesense about our land.

  8. I’m a bit confused but yet delighted on the continued dialogue surrounding the ongoing situation. I’m for improvement and growth of any country and its economy. So like Anguilla and Aruba just to name a few, Barbuda can be the Jem of the Caribbean. But none of this is accomplished without the people’s desire and right to information. Quite naturally, they will be a push and pull between the forces and yet we can find the sweet spot which is the middle. Showing up with armed forces is a situation long gone with the days of apartheid and European occupation. As we know too much or too quickly growth invites a whole ton of illicit transactions. My confusion comes about because I don’t know how Barbudans can benefit from the housing project. For instance, if it helps a Barbudan to own a house , would that individual now has to pay for tha land? If an Antiguan wants to buy one of those houses , are they allowed and would they have to pay for the land as well ? Are any of the proceeds deposited into the revenue of Barbuda or is it fed back to yhe Cenyral Government?
    I can go on and on. Not to change the topic, but I also wonder who’s giving the clearance for planes to fly straight to Barbuda. We have no towers for airspace clearance. An accident waiting to happen. And finally, who’s collecting the landing fees ? I’ve said my piece!!

  9. Barbudans will never stop fighting for land rights and that is ok. It is their constitutional right to protest as long as they don’t obstruct lawful activity. On the other hand, housing projects for those who don’t yet have their own place to call home is a good move by the government. For the person who is speaking about Anguilla, that island is very much still funded by the British government and thus there is no comparison to Barbuda which is a one and the same nation as Antigua is. Also, Anguillans don’t protest the decisions made by Great Britain, they abide by them. Antigua and Barbuda is a unitary state and both the Central Government and Barbuda Council need to start acting like it. The back and forth isn’t doing us any good.

  10. Yo, this whole situation in Barbuda is wild! 😳 The locals are straight-up not having it with the government trying to clear land for that housing project. Trevor Walker’s definitely got the people’s back, telling them their land ain’t for sale! 💯 Can’t blame them for wanting a say in what’s happening in their own backyard.

    And armed police? Sheesh, that’s next level! 🥴 It’s like things are heated on both sides. On one hand, the government’s talking about housing shortages and all that, but on the flip side, going against the whole communal land vibe? That’s a hard pass for the Barbudans!

    It feels like a classic standoff, and I’m curious to see how it all plays out. The fight for their land is real, and if they gotta stand their ground, more power to ’em! Keep pushing for what’s right! 🙌🏾

  11. You have gone to the right island to mess with the right people. One thing I know Barbudans don’t take bs from nobody, not even there own

  12. Antigua First
    Your ignorance and lack of knowledge on subjects on which you comment is laughable.
    The Central Government has made that one sentence of Crown Land its cornerstone, and the limited interpretation of the ruling. Their was no ruling against communal land ownership. Theur are asoect if the ruling that reinforce communal land ownership
    Barbuda land is not for sale. There are no real estate opportunity for speculation on Barbuda
    Barbudans are NOT requesting or wanting or expressing any interest in the proposed homes .
    Barbudans have built their own homes for generations with no bank mortgages, no foreclosures and no auctioning off of their homes
    The communal land ownership is the underlayment of the security system they enjoy.

    No mortgages baby!!: And a better housing stock than in Antigua. Think about that for a minute.
    If your home is your biggest asset and you have little or no equity in your home you have no net worth.
    In spite of that factor, on a square footage basis Barbudan houses rents for a higher square foot cost.
    The list of benefits of the communal land system on Barbuda are too numerous to catalogue here.
    As for Anguilla, The British has a representative member if their foreign service, who is unelected. That person sits in the Anguilla Parliament as a laison and in an advisory role.

    Anguilla budget surplus will be such that in 5 years they can lend money and there is talk about full independence.

    Your statement
    “Anguilla, that island is very much still funded by the British government and thus there is no comparison to Barbuda which is a one and the same nation as Antigua is. Also, Anguillans don’t protest the decisions made by Great Britain, they abide by them”.
    Your made-up BS statement is just like the made-up fabricated statements of the Central Government. It has no basis in fact.
    Barbuda will prevail. It is their land. They will continue to:
    ShowUp! StandUp! SpeakUp!
    They are nit as spineless as you know who.
    @AntiguaFirst, Don’t stand out first with uniformed stupidity speculation and indoctrination

  13. @Antigua First
    Your ignorance and lack of knowledge on subjects on which you comment is laughable.
    The Central Government has made that one sentence of Crown Land as the cornerstone, and the limited interpretation of the ruling.
    Barbuda land is not for sale. There are no real estate opportunity for speculation on Barbuda
    Barbudans are requesting or wanting or expressing any interest in the proposed homes .
    They have built their own homes for generations with no bank mortgages, no foreclosures and no auctioning off of their homes
    The communal land ownership is the underlayment of the security system they enjoy.
    No mortgages baby!!: And a better housing stock than Antigua. Think about that for a minute.
    If your home is your biggest asset and you have little or no equity in your home you have no net worth.
    In spite of that factor, on a square footage basis Barbudan houses rents for a higher square foot cost.
    The list of benefits of the communal land system on Barbuda are too numerous to catalogue here.
    As for Anguilla, The British has a representative member if their foreign service, who is unelected. That person sits in the Anguilla Parliament as a laison and in an advisory role.

    Anguilla budget surplus will be such that in 5 years they can lend money and there is talk about full independence.

    Your statement
    “Anguilla, that island is very much still funded by the British government and thus there is no comparison to Barbuda which is a one and the same nation as Antigua is. Also, Anguillans don’t protest the decisions made by Great Britain, they abide by them”.
    Your made-up BS statement is just like the made-up fabricated statements of the Central Government. It has no basis in fact.
    Barbuda will prevail. It is their land. They will continue to:
    Barbudans will ShowUp! StandUp! SpeakUp!
    They are not as spineless as you know who.
    Lastly @AntiguaFirst, Don’t be the one to stand out first with uniformed stupidity, speculation and a d evidence of indoctrination

  14. It can certainly go sideways . Barbudans from the older days would had shown up with their guns as well. I can remember a time when almost every house in Barbuda had a gun. I don’t want to see anyone being hurt . An amicable relationship is necessary for a healthy outcome. Barbudans have been pushed in a corner for many years so “Trust” is a key part of their vocabulary. From being teased about how we speak to how we look was never positive. All coming from the same people who was regarded as our brothers and sisters. That deep devide is still on the minds of many brabudans. And it doesn’t help after occupying the same land for over 300 years , that we are called squatters and inbreeds by someone who holds the highest position in the land. So the cut is deep and the pain is real. Show Barbudans a real solution and I’m sure the outcome will be different. Showing up with arm guards is threatening and demeaning. I pray for a peaceful outcome.

  15. Codrington has bred a special species on the island and they have overgrown the stone pen in which he housed them. In that pen- ordered habitation they developed their peculiar habits and norms. One of their treasures was a small habitation still within the boundary walls of the codrington pen known the as mulatto quarters. It was where the pickaninnies of codrington’s white workmen -overseers, eggs and provisions collectors, supervisors – stored and raised their mulatto children. Today it’s referred to Malatta (Quarters). The mere fact that these slave descendants still speak with pride about Malatta is clear testimony of their inate retardation (no condescension intended). It was only a few years ago the Barbudans dared to set foot outside the.cobbled stone wall, codrington”s slave pen to , tentatively at first, erect homes just outside or in close proximity to the said pen. When people say, “Boy, Barbudans are a different kettle of fish “they are.correct. When slavery was eventually abolished in 1834, in Antigua, the Barbudans did not have a clue. Nobody bothered to fell them Codrington had by then skiddadĺed back to England withall his wealth intact. Barbudans, welcome to the 21st century. It’s time to know the truth , for its the truth , and only the truth, that will set you free from your wild imaginations and self-inflicted misery.

  16. @Read the Privy Council ruling in its entirety.

    @Antigua First
    Read the Privy Council in uts entirety. Don’t ve guidex by your ignorance and or prejudice agsinst Barbuda
    Your ignorance and lack of knowledge on subjects on which you comment is laughable.

    The Central Government has made that one sentence of Crown Land as the cornerstone, and the limited interpretation of the ruling.
    Barbuda land is not for sale.
    There are no real estate opportunities for speculation on Barbuda
    Barbudans are requesting or wanting or expressing any interest in the proposed homes .
    They have built their own homes for generations with no bank mortgages, no foreclosures and no auctioning off of their homes.
    Uninformed like yourself do not see the merits in such a system
    The communal land ownership is the underlayment of the financial security system they enjoy.
    No mortgages baby!!: And a better housing stock than Antigua. Think about that for a minute.
    If your home is your biggest asset and you have little or no equity in your home you have no net worth.
    In spite of that factor, on a square footage basis Barbudan houses rents for a higher square foot cost.
    The list of benefits of the communal land system on Barbuda are too numerous to catalogue here.
    FYI As for Anguilla which seem to jnow nothing sbout. The British have a representative member of their foreign service, who is unelected. That person sits in the Anguilla Parliament as a liaison and in an advisory role.

    Anguilla budget surplus in 2025 and beyond will be such that in 5 years they can lend money; and there is pokitical debates about full independence.

    Your statement
    “Anguilla, that island is very much still funded by the British government and thus there is no comparison to Barbuda which is a one and the same nation as Antigua is. Also, Anguillans don’t protest the decisions made by Great Britain, they abide by them”.
    Your made-up that BS statement is just like the made-up fabricated statements of the Central Government. It has no basis in fact.
    Barbuda will prevail. It is their land. They will continue to:
    ShowUp! StandUp! SpeakUp!
    They are not as spineless as you know who.
    @AntiguaFirst,
    Don’t stand out first with uniformed stupidity speculation and indoctrination which you engage in

  17. Who wouldn’t want to protest after witnessing what is happening with the housing scheme in Antigua? There’s absolutely no accountability and the houses are substandard. Even Lanny Bozo told us that they were built by basic labourers and were underpaid too and that’s their contribution to society. He is not going to relent and willing to shed blood like the tyrant he is. He needs to tell us how many acres he owns on Barbuda. To all those who are supporting this land grab and marginalization of the Barbudans, you probably haven learnt anything from the South Africans, Zimbabweans and Kenyans. What’s happening to them is as a result of their leaders’s behaviors similar to the way Bozo is behaving. They all seem to possess low self-esteem. Finally, it’s all about siphoning funds through construction. He, himself, demonstrated how it’s done, plus , they have to get their aggregates from their quarries sold.

  18. Faithful National #1
    I’m disappointed at your mention of the “Barbudan’s inate retardation” and welcoming us into the 21st century. So what’s wrong if we decide to hold on to the name of an area that we grew up with. As big as a America is , a similar event happened when slaves were not told about their freedom. Your warped impression are unacceptable. If your hands are held to in the same hot stove over and over again and you didn’t learn , it’s the simple meaning of insanity. As the Europeans did everywhere they went, it was divide and conquer. As someone said before , Barbudans don’t have mortgages, yet they built their homes stronger than most Antiguans. You will not find many homes in Barbuda that are wood. The Chinese are owning everything in Africa and many Caribbean islands. Barbuda will be the payback to China as an IOU from Antigua. So if this is your 21st century, you’re no better than the slaves from Molatto quarters. You are for sale and probably being bought. Barbudans are standing for freedom. It’s hard to believe that what you think if freedom , is the ability to walk in , push people aside against their own free will, inflict on them what you think is best for them, and then sell what is rightfully theirs to the highest bidders. Reincarnate Boto, Let Putin in, and team them up with Hitler. It’s a very bad stew. We no longer want to eat what’s left over from the Massa plates or the craps that were only meant for dogs. We want to eat what we want to eat and we are surviving. So please stop the foolishness and appreciate our heritage.

  19. My view on the land situation in Barbuda has been given time and time àgain. A golden opportunity was lost at Lancaster House to properly settle it and it continues to be a serious factor.

    Now, this ABLP government is so lie that only minions and fools take them at their word. Who fights someone to give them what is “good” for them?? That alone should raise the suspicion that this is not intended for what ABLP says it is but again seeking to pull wool over the people’s eyes. That unfortunately has worked so well in Antigua that they feel all will fall for it. Hey, I am for proper development in Barbuda but not if Barbudans have to be beaten or killed for it. Gaston, if you truly want to help Barbudans and not your usual money or politics calculus, start a proper dialogue! Their is nothing worse than giving someone something they don’t want only to see it destroyed in short order. A word to the wise is sufficient.

  20. The problem I see is that when our black people is given power, they become the colonial, they act as the white man, you see a black man like Gaston ordering pice with Uzi machine guns on the barbudans, and the council for all the years did not encourage the people to go occupy the beach front and build small boutique hotel with the help of the council sand money, instead the council kept the people right where the colonial boundaries were in Codrington, when black man get power them act white, if the population of Barbuda were white, Gaston wouldn’t lose the key of his brains to trouble them.

  21. The problem I see is that when our black people is given power, they become the colonial, they act as the white man, you see a black man like Gaston ordering police with Uzi machine guns on the barbudans, and the council for all the years did not encourage the people to go occupy the beach front and build small boutique hotel with the help of the council sand money, instead the council kept the people right where the colonial boundaries were in Codrington, when black man get power them act white, if the population of Barbuda were white, Gaston wouldn’t lose the key of his brains to trouble them.

  22. Anguilla’s main economy is based on luxury tourism, offshore banking, remittances from emigrants and in last position lobster fishing…Who run those Offshore Banking? Who run those luxury tourism? Come on, Barbudans need to get ownership of a piece of land and move forward…Any Barbudan have the right to purchase a land in Antigua and other countries. But nobody have the right to purchase a land in Barbuda. If the skill set of the Actual population in Barbuda is very low. Why blame others? Who stop you to study? Yourself. Because Barbudans grow without the necessity to improve their skill, because there is nothing to do over there. Any Barbudan who want to be in better position, they have to leave the island because the majority of the population don’t want investors, they don’t want tourism, they don’t want Offshore Banking, they don’t want Antiguans to build a house over there, and the list is big.

  23. @BARBUDA J’AIME This is the consistent issue we deal with on this side of the world. As soon as someone doesn’t agree with your nonsense, you try to insult them. It neither makes you intelligent or correct. If I had a hatred for Barbudans, I would have said so. I’m not afraid to voice my opinion, that is your main issue. Where is the proof that the comment I made about Anguilla is BS? Please either add something sensible to the conversation or just keep it moving. No matter what you or anyone says, Antigua and Barbuda is a unitary state and the time has come for us to act like it.

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