Prime Minister Andrew Holness says that his Government has agreed to establish a trust fund of no less than $10 million for the benefit of survivors of the 1963 Coral Gardens incident.

Six lots at the prominent Rastafarian commune at Pinnacle in St Catherine are to be declared by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT) as a protected heritage site and will be developed as a Rastafari heritage and cultural centre.

In addition, the Rastafari Coral Gardens Benevolent Society (RCGBS) is to be assisted in accessing resources and benefits for its members that are already available through a number of avenues; and, the public defender is to continue locating survivors and gathering background social information about them and their families, in consultation with the RCGBS and the Member of Parliament for that area.

Holness in a statement to the House of Representatives yesterday, in which he apologised for the level of State brutality used against the Rastafarian victims in the then 1963 Coral Gardens incident, said that these “concrete and tangible” actions were agreed between the Government and the RCGBS.

The incident resulted from a confrontation between Rastafarians in Coral Gardens and the State following the shooting of a Rastafarian by a property owner in a dispute over lands, which triggered the burning of a petrol station in St James in retaliation by some Rastas, which eventually led to a massive crackdown by the police.

Public Defender Arlene Harrison Henry’s investigations into the incident, which were reported to Parliament in 2015, found that following the incident the Rastafarians suffered “discrimination, denigration and scorn” and had to trim their locks and their beards to avoid custody and prosecution.

Harrison Henry recommended an apology to “those Rastafarians who were imprisoned, assaulted, taken into custody, and were not themselves involved in the burning of the gas station, and who were not themselves involved in unlawful activities”, and the establishment of a centre specifically for the development and preservation of the rastafari culture by the ministries responsible for culture and tourism.

She also recommended financial, technical and legal resources to be granted for the organisation of a cooperative society exclusively for the rastafari community and the establishment of a trust fund.

Holness, who had announced his intention to apologise and make some compensation during his March 21 budget presentation in the House of Representatives, said yesterday that the public defender’s report provided an official account and analysis of the incident.

“We wish to acknowledge and recognise the report as an important first step in our national effort to reflect on, in a very focused way, an unfortunate chapter in our nation’s history,” the prime minister said.

He added that his statement and apology added another milestone in the resolution of the issues.

Holness said in his statement: “Fellow Jamaicans, the Coral Gardens incident was a grave injustice. The Government acknowledges that the machinery of the Jamaican State evolved out of an era when it was considered appropriate to utilise the heavy hand of the State against citizens.

“Today, without equivocation, we apologise for what occurred in Coral Gardens.

”We express our regret and sorrow for this chapter in our national life that was characterised by brutality, injustice and repression, which was wrong and should never be repeated.

“In expressing our regret, as a people and as a community, we have taken a symbolic, yet courageous and pivotal move, which means that we can face the future with renewed hope, with increased resolve, and in a true spirit of reconciliation.

“In keeping with our Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms, which amended our Constitution in 2011, the Government of Jamaica assures this great nation that we will continue to strive to ensure that unjust incidents and discriminatory actions, such as occurred at Coral Gardens, are never allowed to happen again.”