Jamaican beach access campaigners go to court to fight privatisation of coast

Activists are challenging colonial-era law and demanding ‘free, legal, unfettered, forever rights’ to use beaches

• Jamaica’s beach access crisis: ‘We shouldn’t be forced to fight for what is already ours’

Campaigners in Jamaica are heading to court next week to try to prevent the government from cutting off access to more of their beaches.

They argue that ceding their shorelines to big hotel chains enriches private investors and benefits tourists and outsiders while depriving Jamaicans who depend on the sea for their livelihoods, leisure and health.