Twenty Pastors Demand Removal of ‘Sexually Suggestive’ Billboard in Belmopan

What began as angry comments on social media has turned into an organized push to force a controversial alcohol advertisement off the streets of the capital.

A coalition of twenty pastors from Belmopan and surrounding communities delivered a formal letter to Mayor Pablo Cawich today, demanding he use his authority to have a sexually suggestive alcohol billboard removed from public view. Church leaders say the advertisement violates public decency standards and that the nationwide backlash it has triggered is itself proof that it has no place in a public space.

Church Senator Louis Wade, who has been at the forefront of the campaign, said the mayor has both a legal and moral obligation to act.

“It is a public space. There has been a public outcry. It appears that the mayor does not know the law. The criminal code speaks specifically to indecent exposure of photographs, pictures or so on in public space,” Wade said.

When asked about arguments that the advertiser has a right to free expression, Wade was blunt. He said that right cuts both ways.

“The freedom of expression that trumps the billboard is the freedom of expression of the residents who say they do not want the billboard. The outcry is so loud that it has gone around the country. Every media house has touched it, thousands of posts on the issue, and that alone demonstrates the fact that it is indecent,” he said.

We’ll have more details in tonight’s newscast. Join us at 6:00pm on News 5 Live.