“Not on our land:” Duke and Duchess cancel first stop on Belize tour over Indian Creek protest

By Aaron Humes: This evening the Daily Mail (UK) and sources in Belize are reporting that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have canceled their trip to a cacao farm in Toledo following a protest by villagers.

The Mail says Kensington Palace, an official representative of the monarchy, has confirmed the cancelation.

The couple is on their way and will be officially welcomed Saturday afternoon by Prime Minister John Briceño as part of the celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

But the visit to the Akte’il farm to view sustainable farming practices is off after villagers protested the Duke’s connections to Flora and Fauna International, which has declared a 12-thousand acre property deemed to be part of the Maya’s communal land space in the village of Indian Creek off-limits for their use as “private property.”

The villagers say they were never informed, ne consulted, about the visit and the fact that the helicopter bringing the couple would land on the village football field.

Chairman Sebastian Shol said, “We don’t want them to land on our land, that’s the message we want to send. They could land anywhere but not on our land.”

A youth leader said the way the visit had been handled raised the issue of “colonialism,” saying unnamed organizers wanted it to “look good” for the visitors.

The Mail says alternative arrangements would be made according to aides of Kensington Palace.

The rest of the trip, including a Garifuna Cultural Festival in Hopkins, a visit to Caracol in Cayo and the BATSUB Jungle Training Base is still on.

The visit begins with their arrival on Saturday and ends on Tuesday when they leave for Jamaica.

Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Belize ~ We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages. Your content is delivered instantly to thousands of users in Belize and abroad! Contact us at mаrkеtіng@brеаkіngbеlіzеnеwѕ.соm or call us at 501-612-0315.

© 2022, BreakingBelizeNews.com. Content is copyrighted and requires written permission for reprinting in online or print media. Theft of content without permission/payment is punishable by law.