SOME BAHAMIANS DON'T ACCEPT ALL COLORS OF THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NASSAU 001397

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/19/2014
TAGS: CASC PREL PGOV BF
SUBJECT: SOME BAHAMIANS DON'T ACCEPT ALL COLORS OF THE
RAINBOW

REF: A. NASSAU 1342


B. NASSAU 1382

Classified By: CHARGE ROBERT M. WITAJEWSKI FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).

SUMMARY
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1. (SBU) An estimated 150 protesters gathered early July 16
in downtown Nassau to denounce the government's willingness
to allow the "Norwegian Dawn" cruise ship, which on this
particular cruise had a large contingent of U.S. citizen-gay
families on a trip organized in part by U.S. celebrity Rosie
O'Donnell. Embassy Political and Consular officers along
with RSO monitored the ship's arrival and the demonstrations
that lasted from slightly before 8 a.m. until 10 a.m. when
protesters disbanded as scheduled by police. Prominent
Bahamian pastors in the "Save The Bahamas" Campaign gave
fiery speeches denouncing homosexuality as well as against
specific members of the Perry Christie Government that they
believe to be homosexual than they had earlier. Minister of
Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell and Minister of Tourism Obie
Wilchombe were cited as examples of the Progressive Liberal
Party (PLP) Government's ignoring of what protest organizers
claimed were the Bahamian peoples' concerns about
homosexuality. Local media and an HBO documentary film crew
from the U.S. were present for the protest in its entirety.
The "Norwegian Dawn" departed Nassau at mid-afternoon.
End Summary.


RELIGIOUS LEADERS MEET CRUISE SHIP PASSENGERS
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2. (SBU) Consular Officer and Political Officer arrived at
Rawson Square in the heart of downtown Nassau where cruise
ship passengers exit the port facility shortly before 8:00
am. Approximately 100 protesters had already gathered and
were listening to the impassioned speeches of various
Bahamian Protestant ministers decrying homosexual lifestyles.
The speeches themselves reiterated past themes as the
religious leaders told their followers that gay lifestyles do
not follow Christian values.


3. (SBU) Quoting from the Bahamian Constitution's reference
to The Bahamas being a Christian nation, Apostle Christopher
Russell bashed the current Administration for "promoting
gays" in The Bahamas. Citing Minister of Foreign Affairs and
Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchombe, both widely rumored to be
homosexuals, by name, the religious figures dared Prime
Minister Perry G. Christie "to stand up as a man, if he is
one" and state where the Progressive Liberal Party stands on
the issue of homosexuality.


RAINBOW ALLIANCE HAS SMALL PRESENCE
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4. (SBU) Perhaps a dozen members of Rainbow Alliance, a
local gay rights activist organization, were also present
during the rally. For the most part however, they stayed
away from the platform and remained directly outside the gate
where the passengers entered the Square to welcome the cruise
ship visitors before they faced the protesters. Embassy
officers observed a few one-on-one debates between Alliance
members and protesters during the course of the morning, but
all of these were peaceful and relatively calm.


5. (SBU) Members of Rainbow Alliance supporting the gay
contingent of the cruise ship passengers, as well as
protesters who were opposing their presence in The Bahamas,
gave several interviews to local media as well as to the HBO
documentary film crew who were onboard the cruise ship to
document the first cruise ship cruise catering to gay
families. One camera crew from HBO followed one gay couple
with their children during their morning of shopping on Bay
Street, Nassau's main tourist shopping strip.


SECURITY ISSUES AT PROTEST
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6. (C) Embassy had been in contact with the Royal Bahamas
Police Force (RBPF) in advance of the planned protest to
discuss security concerns as they might impact on the
overwhelmingly U.S. passengers on the ship. As agreed upon,
the RBPF stationed a few dozen uniformed police force and
Defence Force officials, with others under-cover, in the area
of the protest/counter-protest.


7. (SBU) What appeared to be the first male gay couple
disembarked the ship at approximately 8:30am and the couple
walked, with their four children, from Prince George's Wharf
into downtown Nassau relatively undisturbed except for the
accompanying HBO film crews. Although the majority of
passengers apparently chose to stay on the ship, those who
did chose to disembark did so 9 a.m. Many went straight from
the ship to waiting buses to be taken on standard tours of
the island or to the zoo.


8. (C) Central Detective Unit Superintendent, Marvin Dames,
contacted the RSO shortly after 10 a.m. to inform him that a
few Bahamian protesters had been arrested for following and
harassing some of the cruise ship passengers walking around
downtown. After the arrests, the protesters appear to have
disbanded. RSO commended the Royal Bahamas Police Force for
their vigilance in maintaining law and order.


EMBASSY LETTER APPEARS IN PAPER
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9. (C) On July 14 the Deputy Director General at the
Ministry of Tourism, Ms. Vernice Walkine, requested a letter
from the Embassy -- supposedly for internal Government use
only -- detailing the Embassy's concerns with the welfare and
protection of U.S. citizens in event of any protests or
incidents during the cruise ship's stopover in Nassau. The
text of the letter was immediately leaked to the local media..


10. (U) Excerpts from the letter appeared on the front page
of the country's two principal newspapers, "The Tribune" and
"The Nassau Guardian" on July 16. After referring to
widespread media reporting of the controversy generated among
Bahamians by the cruise ship visit and the need to balance
the free expression of opinion with safety and security, and
noting the Embassy's special interest in the protection and
welfare of U.S. citizens, the letter requested that the
Embassy "be kept apprised of any developments that might
impact the safety of U.S. citizens."


COMMENT
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11. (C) Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchombe seems to have
been seeking the cover of the U.S. Embassy by disclosing our
letter to the media as the justification for providing an
increased police presence during the ship's visit.


12. (U) As of 2:00 p.m., there have been no indications that
U.S. citizens have been significantly inconvenienced by the
protests. The "Norwegian Dawn" has departed Nassau and three
other cruise ships have subsequently arrived and docked at
Prince George's Wharf and disembarked their passengers.
WITAJEWSKI