4:12 Just a correction: Operation Urgent Fury did not result in the overthrow of the Bishop government. Before the U.S. intervened, there was an internal coup within the Bishop government. There was months-long festering tensions/suspicions between Bishop and the other "joint leader", Bernard Coard, fueled by rumors going around to the effect that Coard was plotting to do away with Bishop. Things came to a head when Coard accused Bishop of being the source of these malicious and dangerous rumors, resulting in Bishop being placed under house arrest. But Bishop was very charismatic and very popular with the people so they staged a mass-demonstration where they marched up to the residence where he was being held and freed him (the soldiers guarding him were reluctant to fire on the crowds). Then they marched up to Fort George where there was incidentally a cache of arms and ammunition. So an hours-long stand-off ensued between the two factions - Maurice Bishop and his supporters, which included several other cabinet members; versus Bernard Coard and a few others. Eventually, a couple anti-personnel carriers drove up to the fort whether to engage militarily or to try to quell the situation, is not known for certain, but one of the sides fired the first shot triggering a firefight that resulted in the death of scores of people along with injuries from jumping off the high walls of the fort in an effort to flee for safety. Bishop and his supportive cabinet members were captured on site at the end of the firefight; given a summary trial there on site; and executed by firing squad. All of this - from the mass demonstration to the executions - happened within the space of about 4 or 5 hours. So the Bishop government was no more. There was now a new government headed by Bernard Coard and they were basically starting out with a witch hunt trying to find persons they deem to be loyal to Bishop to either imprison them or kill them. Luckily I don't think they succeeded in killing anyone else. Perhaps Bishop's popularity and the widespread shock and grief over what transpired might have killed the morale of the soldiers charged with the unpopular task of finding persons on the blacklist. This government only existed for 6 days before U.S. and Caribbean troops intervened.
beautiful Grenada
4:12 Just a correction: Operation Urgent Fury did not result in the overthrow of the Bishop government. Before the U.S. intervened, there was an internal coup within the Bishop government.
There was months-long festering tensions/suspicions between Bishop and the other "joint leader", Bernard Coard, fueled by rumors going around to the effect that Coard was plotting to do away with Bishop. Things came to a head when Coard accused Bishop of being the source of these malicious and dangerous rumors, resulting in Bishop being placed under house arrest.
But Bishop was very charismatic and very popular with the people so they staged a mass-demonstration where they marched up to the residence where he was being held and freed him (the soldiers guarding him were reluctant to fire on the crowds). Then they marched up to Fort George where there was incidentally a cache of arms and ammunition. So an hours-long stand-off ensued between the two factions - Maurice Bishop and his supporters, which included several other cabinet members; versus Bernard Coard and a few others.
Eventually, a couple anti-personnel carriers drove up to the fort whether to engage militarily or to try to quell the situation, is not known for certain, but one of the sides fired the first shot triggering a firefight that resulted in the death of scores of people along with injuries from jumping off the high walls of the fort in an effort to flee for safety. Bishop and his supportive cabinet members were captured on site at the end of the firefight; given a summary trial there on site; and executed by firing squad. All of this - from the mass demonstration to the executions - happened within the space of about 4 or 5 hours.
So the Bishop government was no more. There was now a new government headed by Bernard Coard and they were basically starting out with a witch hunt trying to find persons they deem to be loyal to Bishop to either imprison them or kill them. Luckily I don't think they succeeded in killing anyone else. Perhaps Bishop's popularity and the widespread shock and grief over what transpired might have killed the morale of the soldiers charged with the unpopular task of finding persons on the blacklist. This government only existed for 6 days before U.S. and Caribbean troops intervened.