MONTEGO BAY, St James — A number of Rastafarians congregated in historic Sam Sharpe Square, Montego Bay yesterday to express disgust over allegations of the trimming of a young woman of the faith by members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) at Four Paths Police Station in Clarendon.

“We are calling on the prime minister, we are calling on the minister of justice, we calling on the national security minister. We want to hear their voice because silence is consent; and throughout all the activities pertaining to the incident we have not seen or heard anything from any of them,” said Ras Iyah V, a Nyabinghi elder, businessman, and ganja advocate.

In a video posted on social media, the young woman, Nzinga King, said she is a lifelong Rastafarian and also claimed she was unfairly detained by the police following an incident in a public passenger vehicle.

The police noted that the matter of which King speaks was duly tried by a judge in a court of law where she was convicted and sentenced.

Yesterday, the protesting Rastafarians demanded that the Government move swiftly to address what they said was the latest infringement of the rights of members of the faith.

“In this time when we see our young sister being held in Four Paths, Clarendon, her locks been trimmed, why? It is an outright violation of her constitutional rights, and as such we are here to continue our protest,” Ras Iyah V said above drumming and chanting by his colleagues.

Another member of the gathering, Empress Esther, a representative of the Ethiopia Africa Black International Congress Ten Miles, Bull Bay, also called on Government officials to address the alleged human rights violation.

“It was a gross violation of the princess’ human rights and we are calling on the Government, the opposition leader, all these national and international government officials in high places, to look into this matter of our human rights as Rastafarians being violated. We have a right to wear our locks,” she said.

“The situation with this 19-year-old princess; she has been trodding Rastafari from she was inside the womb and when you look at what is happening now she was taken in for whatever reasons, charged and get her hair trimmed. Wasn’t charging her enough? Why trim her locks? Jamaica is a Christian nation and they read Bible so when you check Numbers 6 it is showing you that anyone take a Nazarite vow, no razor should go to their locks. So if is even that principle, hold it no man!” Empress Esther added.

Meanwhile, Ras Iyah V, who revealed that there will be a follow-up protest in Mandela Park [in St Andrew] today, said “We have a petition that will be going out for 15,000 people to sign,”

He vowed that Rastafarians will keep up the protest until there is some assurance that their constitutional rights are no longer violated.

“We are saying that if violation of our constitutional rights continue, we have no alternative than to continue to take to the street. We will not stop taking to the street until there is some guarantee from the Government that Rastafari rights will be protected: whether the incidence of the trimming of locks, whether is a matter of Rastafarian children being banned from school, whether is a matter of Rastafari having ganja in their possession. But we will not stop protesting until the Government come out and make it publicly known — both in print and electronic media — that these rights of Rastafari must be protected by the State and the police force will know, once and for all, that you don’t have the right to trim Rastafari people,” Ras Iyah V stated.

Police Commissioner Major General Antony Anderson has ordered an immediate probe into the issue.