BELMOPAN – May 19, 2026 What started as scattered public outrage shared across social media platforms has evolved into a coordinated civic campaign aimed at removing a provocative alcohol industry advertisement from a prominent public location in Belize’s capital city.
A coalition of 20 senior faith leaders from Belmopan and its neighboring communities submitted an official formal petition to Belmopan Mayor Pablo Cawich on Tuesday, calling on the mayor to exercise his municipal authority to take down the billboard, which the group describes as overtly sexually suggestive and out of line with local community standards. The religious leaders argue that the advertisement violates long-standing public decency norms for public spaces, and add that the widespread national backlash the billboard has sparked only confirms that it has no place on public display.
Leading the campaign is Senator Louis Wade, who serves as both a sitting legislator and a church leader. Wade emphasized that the mayor carries both legal and moral responsibility to address the public’s concerns and remove the advertisement immediately.
“This is publicly owned land, and the public has made their objections extremely clear,” Wade stated in comments following the delivery of the petition. “It seems the mayor may be unclear on the existing law. Belize’s criminal code specifically addresses the public display of indecent images, photographs and other content, and this advertisement falls squarely into that category.”
When pressed to respond to counterarguments that the advertiser holds a legal right to freedom of expression, Wade rejected the framing, noting that the right to free speech applies to all members of the public — not just commercial advertisers.
“The freedom of expression that matters most here is the freedom of expression of thousands of Belmopan residents who have said they do not want this offensive content in their public spaces,” Wade explained. “The outcry has echoed across the entire nation: every major media outlet has covered the controversy, social media platforms are flooded with thousands of posts opposing the billboard, and that collective public voice is clear proof that this content is indecent and inappropriate for public display.”
Additional details on the mayor’s response and next steps in the campaign will be shared during News 5 Live’s 6:00 pm evening newscast, which viewers can tune into for full coverage of the developing story.