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Can one cattle stampede? Can one person be a crowd? Can one tree be a forest? Can one man be a revolution? Can one man be a government? Can one man frighten 110,000 citizens?
According to some dictionaries, a stampede is uncontrolled concerted running as an act of mass impulse among herd animals or a crowd of people in which the herd (or crowd) collectively begins running, often in an attempt to escape a perceived threat. Species associated with stampede behaviour include cattle, elephants, blue wildebeests, walruses, wild horses, rhinoceros, and humans.
Some may say that one cattle can stampede. Others may say one person can be the beginning of a crowd as some may say one tree is the beginning of a very young forest. We know one man can be a government. We have the living experience of such in SVG. We know one man can frighten 110,000 people — their inaction makes that very obvious.
But can a peaceful crowd be classed as a counter-revolution against a one man Marxist-Leninist revolution?
A man with a slick mouth and a legal brain can make an argument for just about anything. That is what is happening in St. Vincent and the Grenadines under Ralph Gonsalves who claims to be the prime minister and others say he is not because the recent elections were stolen.
Claims of wrongdoing are being laid against protesting people for holding public meetings and for carrying placards, for waving flags, for banging drums, for peacefully gathering and talking in groups. Arrests are being made of people who are carrying out their democratic rights under the terms of the United Nations Human Rights Act and also the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Constitution.
Police are gathering up protesters and carrying them to the police station, where they are held for several hours and some released without charge and some charged, and some during the time held not told why they were being held. Some of them were not properly cautioned when picked up and some are not cautioned at all.
Police, without proper reason, are taking away placards, food and water, flags, musical drums and whatever else they decide to confiscate from the protesters. Intimidating the people, beating at least one person with a truncheon and dragging women and men along the floor and throwing them into vehicles. The behaviour of the police is undemocratic, unconstitutional, and anti human rights.
Let the World behold the bestiality being laid on peaceful protesters, let all those governments and international organisations who support democracy contact the Gonsalves regime and protest on behalf of decency and democracy.
For those Vincentians in the Diaspora, come on, you can speak out; you will still get your airport, after all some of you helped cause the mess we are in.
Peter Binose
The opinions presented in this content belong to the author and may not necessarily reflect the perspectives or editorial stance of iWitness News. Opinion pieces can be submitted to [email protected].
Peter, you know damn well that if the tables were turned the NDP and the police would be behaving in the very same way.
In many countries, the dogs, horses, and tear gas would have been brought out long ago.
Let the courts decide whether the election was free and fair, not the mob.
I know no such thing David and with respect neither do you.
There is no doubt that they had FRG gas launching rifles there are photo’s of them.
We do not have horses and we do not have crowd control dogs, so what you are realy talking about is total rubbish.
The courts will decide but in the meantime it is their right to do what they are doing and it is not for us to say it is wrong. What was wrong was the way that the ULP organized the road block revolution or even the so called rape rally.
Peter the only Vincentians in the Diaspora who support the devil are as follows.Some are leeches and some only set foot in SVG once every five or ten years and don’t have a clue what is happening there. Others say they’re not putting a foot in SVG until the airport is completed.Well lucky them.As for the devil.THERE IS AN END TO EVERY ROAD.
As for the airport ha,ha.That’s a WHITE ELEPHANT.
Peter, Thank you. I agree it is horrific. The press is out there, the people are there, the police and their SWAT teams are there. We are not seeing the support for the people of SVG coming from the UN and our neighbouring Caribbean Countries. It is OK to support the government if one chooses to do so; but it is not OK to support the actions of said government when the human rights of the people are being violated in such a blatant manner. Citizens of SVG, and those who may be of Vincaentian origin, or however you are connected; please join with us to express your outrage, and call upon the government of SVG to stop treating citzens in this manner. Call upon the UN Human Rights arm to intervene on behalf of Vincentians at home. Call upon other Caribbean governments to exercise some of their influence with the SVG government to help to resolve this.
Peter, please tell us how many of our precious people have been tear-gassed, bitten by police dogs, trampled by police horses, beaten unconscious by out of control officers, shot by police snippers, etc.?
None, you say? Just as I thought.
Peter, glad you are supporting the people and their rights. I may be in the minority but I have gained more respect for Eustace in this post-election period.
I am sure that you have noticed that Ralph Gonsalves has been working overtime to demonize those that do not agree with the election results. As a top political analyst once said:
” the way to bring down a dictator is to force them to act like one, out in the open where everyone can see it.”
Practically none of these people have done nothing against the law except exercise their Democratic rights.
The supposed law that says one cannot demonstrate within 200 meters from the Ministerial building is a great tool for peaceful protesters. Ralph would have them demonstrate at the library….ooooooh! that would be effective!
David my being surprised by your ignorant and silly comments is becoming more frequent.
I am sorry to have to say that, but your ever increasing bias against the NDP and Eustace I find quite worrying.
I am surprised that you do not support the democratic right of people to protest peacefully.
If people want to protest why cant they?
Perhaps you should spend time commenting on the matter of inventing ways to stop protests by introducing 200 yard limits from any ministerial building. There is one in every street in Kingstown and that would mean that no one can protest in Kingstown. Those are the kind of things you should be commenting on instead of making silly comments about me.
As for dogs and horses we have none, we have some drug dogs but not trained for crowd control.
On Thursday a bunch of police in riot gear carrying clear plastic shields chanting pushed into the crowd causing people to fall over, Arnhim Eustace and his wife Jennifer were at the front and Arnhim was hurt in the uncalled for police action. Yet still the crowd stayed peaceful, the police would have just loved for the opportunity to gas and pepper spray the crowd. A bunch of people were taken to the police barracks and three of them were injured there and had to attend the hospital. One man the following day had Xrays for suspected broken ribs.
A journalist from Grenada had his camera snatched by the police whilst photographing the whole scene. They then arrested him without cautioning him and took him to the police station where he was told he was not welcome in SVG. They told him that he is only here to make the ULP look bad and gave him a lecture on ULP politics. After six hours they released him.
What you are saying David is that we must wait for people to be bludgeoned, trampled by horses, shot and gassed before we should complain. Let me tell you something if we all sit back and do and say nothing that may well be the next step by the police.
Gonsalves did far worse at the time of the roadblock revolution and he was not beaten, bludgeoned, arrested or locked up and nor was anyone else.
And I do not know damn well that if the tables were turned the NDP and the police would be behaving in the very same way. That is just you making suppositions and trying to read my mind. I know no such thing and neither do you.
Yes the courts will make some ruling but even that I no longer trust or rely on under this regime.
When you used the phrase how many of our precious people it struck me as you were meaning the opposite to precious and were in fact mocking the Vincentian protesters.
I am worried that you have now started to try and make wrong right.
If you really want to attack someone, go and punch a mirror.
David stop trying to be a clever dick.
When people protest or demonstrate they do it based on facts not gossip or misinformation. In the US people demonstrate and protest for police brutality e.g. video of police shooting someone in the back, a person being held in a chokehold and died. Those are credible evidence. What facts or evidence does the NDP have for the protest in Kingstown? Reputable observers and organizations has signed off that the 2015 election was free and fair. What are they protesting for a lie orchestrated by Vinette Federick or Eustace saying the election was stolen? PLEASE lets see what the court have to say about that when the case comes up. One have already been throw out. Lets wait for the final Laugh.
Dear junkupyuunga, people have the right to demonstrate for whatever reason they wish, they do not have abide by any rules that you set.
They have a God given right to do that, even if what they are demonstrating about is unbelievable to others than themselves, its their right under the constitution and the Human Rights Convention to which SVG is a signatory to.
If they are wrong or right that is no excuse for the government to encourage the police to beat them and prosecute them. If they are wrong so be it, almost every demonstration has a content of wrong and right in it.
May I suggest that the only reason they are being attacked and victimized is because they cause an embarrassment to Prime Minister Gonsalves and the ULP government. Which there is proof and evidence that the police will not tolerate any demonstration against the ULP or the comrade, they just will not allow it.
Dear Junkupyuunga,
I can see from your style that you are just the same bunch using a different very silly name.
People have the right to demonstrate about whatever they choose, its not for someone like you to decide the criteria or interpret the terms or rules. Its a God given right which neither you or the government or the police should try and stop and create violent situations from.
If they are wrong in their beliefs that has nothing whatsoever to do with their right to demonstrate peacefully.
After what happened last Thursday to the Grenadian journalist Mr Mark and what he reported the police said to him, its fairly obvious to me this is about the police believing they are protecting the ULP and Prime minister Gonsalves. Its not a matter of law or whats right its a matter of political bias on the part of the police as aptly demonstrated by the police chief whilst dancing and prancing at ULP political rallies whilst wearing a red suit and hat with white stars emblazoned on them..
Peter, you well know that the only way the hapless NDP can gain power is through a violent overthrow of the government, also called revolution, which often starts by deliberately provoking the police — in this case our ignorant and poorly trained force — to overact with mace, tear gas, beatings, mass arrests, etc.
You also know from my writings that I am the last person in SVG to be pleased to see another ULP government in power. But I am mature enough to accept the democratic will of our people, regardless of whether they were rewarded or not with gifts to vote for the party of their choice.
You have already slandered the courts by implying they are biased so it appears that you would like our democratically elected government to fall by force.
Watch your back: you may soon be charged with fomenting treason.
My dear friend, Peter, do you really think it matters which government is in power in SVG when, at the end of the day, history has shown that “all ah dam ah de same” when it comes to (1) lying, (2) victimization, (3) economic mismanagement, and (4) corruption?