Some of the scores of protesters who marched up and down the UWI gate yesterday. - Jermaine Barnaby
Following the dismissal of prominent, University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, Professor Brendan Bain, protests on sections of the campus are expected to continue throughout this week.
Scores of persons against the dismissal of Professor Bain as head of the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training Network (CHART) showed up yesterday garbed in black, many of which sported symbolic pieces of tape placed over their mouths, with the phrase 'freedom of speech' inscribed.
The series of protests this week, the first of which was held yesterday, is expected to continue on Wednesday and Friday.
Bain was sacked as head of CHART last Tuesday subsequent to growing concerns from several gay advocacy groups, following statements made in a high-profile Belize court case in which the criminalisation of buggery was challenged.
Meanwhile, the UWI's Marketing and Communications Office issued an official statement to staff addressing the concerns raised about academic freedom at the university.
The UWI denied bowing to pressure from gay advocacy groups, adding that the decision to dismiss Professor Bain was not based on allegations that the UWI stood to lose funding from various factions.
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