The One Bermuda Alliance will not be swayed by politically motivated protests, according to party chairwoman Senator Lynne Woolridge.

In a statement this evening, Ms Woolridge accused the Progressive Labour Party of taking this “country to the brink of anarchy” and urged Bermudians to “understand this cannot continue”.

She said: “Today is a sad day in Bermuda. The democratically elected government has been prevented from doing the people’s work.”

Noting that the purpose of today’s planned debate of the airport legislation was to reveal the benefits of the airport redevelopment plan, she added: “The Progressive Labour Party has steadfastly, for more than two years now, refused to pay any attention to the mountain of facts and relevant documents the Government has put out about this project.

“The fact of the matter is, we have concluded, that the PLP couldn’t care less what the facts are; they simply want to defeat the OBA and wrest back control of the government by any means necessary. That’s not democracy, that’s government by force. That is government by bullying. The PLP has taken this country to the brink of anarchy.

“I urge all Bermudians to look at what the Opposition and their supporters are doing, and understand this cannot continue. We must respect the rule of law in Bermuda and the right of the elected government to move legislation forward for the benefit of all Bermudians.”

Ms Woolridge added that today’s events were “not representative of who we are as Bermudians and it is most unfortunate that some of the protesters were injured”.

She added: “Physical confrontations are never the answer in resolving a disagreement. We have overcome our differences in the past and, going forward, the OBA is committed to fulfilling our responsibility to the people of Bermuda and we will not be swayed by these politically motivated protests.”

• For the full statement, see the PDF under “Related Media”