Found at: http://www.anguillaguide.com/article/articleprint/2664/-1/140/
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INCIDENTS AFFECT CARNIVAL EVENTS Youngsters Arrested For Violence
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Unlike previous years, the carnival activities in Anguilla this year were affected, to some extent, by acts of violence, which led the police to curtail at least two of the shows in the interest of safety.
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Members of the Royal Anguilla Police Force preparing for crowd control
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The premier show of the Summer Festival, the Miss Anguilla Queens Pageant, originally planned for Thursday, August 4, had to be cancelled in the early hours of Friday morning, August 5. The police at first led away a number of youngsters for unruly behaviour. Then around 1.40 a.m. there was a shooting incident which resulted in the police having to cancel the show.
Two persons were shot. One was a young woman who received a wound at the side of the head and the other a young man who was hit in the shoulder. They were taken to the hospital for treatment.
In a statement the police appealed to the public for assistance to identify the offenders. They said the appeal was “to ensure that such public events can be enjoyed by all and not spoiled by a tiny minority of people intent on pointless and dangerous criminality.”
The incidents led to a meeting of the Chairman of the Carnival Committee, John Benjamin, and other top officials of the Summer Festival and Commissioner of Police, Keithly Benjamin, with Acting Chief Minister and Minister of Tourism, Victor Banks, and Minister of Social Development, McNeil Rogers. It was decided that carnival should continue and that the Queen Show should take place on Friday night, August 5 with free admission. The show was not held however as the participants did not turn up. Consequently, for the first time there was no Miss Anguilla in the Parade of Troupes. The show eventually took place on the Sunday night, August 7.
A statement issued by Mr. Banks, following the above meeting, assured residents and visitors that the Government considered the incidents “as matters of the highest national concern and will continue to employ more and more resources and strategies to combat these threats to our national development.”
There were many arrests by the police on Saturday, August 6, when gang-style fighting broke out among youngsters from several parts of the island. It is understood that between 15 and 25 persons were arrested and were being held in police custody pending their appearance in court.