RR7912A GRENADA BISHOP'S MOVE

(21 Mar 1979) RR7912A GRENADA BISHOP'S MOVE

On March 13th 1979 Maurice Bishop, leader of Grenada's
left-wing New Jewel Movement, staged a coup and seized
power from Sir Eric Gairy. Grenada had gained her
independence from Britain in 1974 amid a general strike
from which the tiny Caribbean island's economy has never
recovered. Bishop himself had been arrested only 7 hours
before Independence Day. The inhabitants of the island were
in no mood for celebration and there were street demonstrations
calling for the resignation of the Government. At that time
Eric Gairy managed to hold power with the help of his 'secret
police'. Five years later, after reports that there was a
plot to assassinate members of the New Jewel Movement, Bishop
decided that this was the time to move rather than wait to be
killed. In the early hours of the morning of March 13th the
virtually bloodless coup took place and Maurice Bishop became
the island's new self-proclaimed Prime Minister.



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