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The main opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) is calling for a police investigation into an “attack”, in Rillan Hill, on its supporters during an election event Tuesday night.

Hundreds of NDP supporters were having a street parade, accompanied by amplified music, from Campden Park to Retreat, Vermont, where a rally was planned.

While the crowd was passing through Rillan Hill, another South Leeward community, around 8:20 p.m., six gunshots rang out, sending the crowd scampering.

In a video comment on the incident on Wednesday, Opposition Leader and NDP president, Godwin Friday condemned the incident as  “a clear attack on the NDP and our supporters”.

Friday said that stoned were through at a truck that was part of a procession. 

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“Rocks struck the windscreen of the truck and nearly caused it to run off the road,” the opposition leader said, adding that at least one person was injured, but offered not details about the injury or the status of the person.

“Gunshots were heard – causing fear and alarm among the supporters.

This was a clear attack on the NDP and our supporters, intended to suppress our activities,” Friday said.

The opposition leader said this is not the sort of thing that the NDP expects in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

“It is completely unacceptable,” Friday said, adding, “I call on the ULP to denounce this attack and we call on police to investigate it fully and independently and inform us of the outcomes.

“They must take all measures to prosecute those involved and to protect the supporters of all parties.

“Let me be clear, the New Democratic Party will not be intimidated or frightened by those who wish to attack us. We will conduct our campaign and we will be out there with the people, every day until the polls close,” he said.

“Our elections must be peaceful and lawful. We agreed to as much when we signed Code of Conduct,” he said, referring to the accord that the NDP and the ruling Unity Labour Party signed last week.

Friday said:

“Unfortunately, after 19 years of ULP governance we have a climate of fear, tension and lawlessness in our beautiful country.

That is why is so important that we have a new way of politics in our country. A way of politics where we are free to debate our ideas, have our disagreements, without violence, without victimisation, without fear.

“We must put an end to these things. We must get our country working.

The NDP is building a movement, our tent is large, it is large enough for everyone.

“Our people need real and lasting change to get our nation working.

That will never come through rocks and bullets.

“In politics, and in every other aspect of life, we must all remember we are one people, we are one nation.”

6 replies on “NDP condemns ‘attack’ on supporters in Rillan Hill (+Video)”

  1. Percival Thomas says:

    Friday’s speech was a master class. The speech worthy of a PM. Way, way way above anything our current PM could say to unite the nation. God knows we need some healing in SVG.
    Dr Friday said all the right thinsg in regards to the unfortunate incident.
    Unfortunately, it seems likely that we could get more reckless behaviour as NDP hammer home the need for a change in SVG.

    As supporters. of NDP and as our leader have said we must remain strong, very strong . We must faced down any group trying to intimidate NDP supporters. The police must do their job without bias.
    We need Friday with his vision of a united SVG and a different kind of politics to lead us through this dark and fearful period in our history created by the ULP.
    There is a great need for Vincentians at home to live in a period without FEAR and those Vincentians overseas not having to worry about thier family and frieds at home.

  2. Ignorance and abuse of the dunce, will always be used by the ruling oppressors who use the uncontrolled power of the dunce self-hating imbeciles, to bring about their own ends. Nowhere in history has power ever been relinquished easily by those in power.

    Sir John Dalberg-Acton, 10 January 1834 – 19 June 1902, 8th Baronet remarked, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men…”, yet for all that, I do not see Ralph Gonsalves as a great man, but rather as a very bad fellow who now continues to exploit all Vincentians and the office of Prime Minister!

    Moreover, I for my part, do not understand what it is about “Political power over other restive peoples” that would cause the Gonsalves family not to want to take a flight out of SVG and into Cuba or Venezuela before the Vincentian peoples petition France for a working model of a Guillotine or in creating for themselves, their own working representation of a British Gibbet.

    Freedom is something that Vincentians once held sacrosanct over all else, that is once the British slavers were paid off and then told to “sling their hook” and find other people to use and exploit.

    However today, Vincentians have passively tolerated the gradual move back into nothing but slavery and very obvious eventual poverty, by the Gonsalves family, a family who have set themselves up as a ruling dynasty.

    Vincentians have fallen victims for that that old proverbial promise of “something for nothing”. Being duped by that old three card trick, by an overfed charlatan whose grandiose delusion is that he sees himself in the image of a Fidel Castro of a Hugo Chavez, despite the human disasters these men have caused their people!

    But how will the final end of this ruling political family rule over SVG end? How will their rule end for their near on twenty years in power in SVG and their extensive abuse of that power over all Vincentians? By the Guillotine, by the Gibbet or in a cubical in the local prison or by a very hurried departure flight to Cuba or Venezuela? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnP8WDkRIZs

    Such are the likely ends to all tyrants!

  3. How is the actions of some people attributed to a political party?

    Vincentians are special!!

    I do believe in denouncing the acts but why throw blame. In the first place, both parties are contravening the RPA, which prohibits motorcades.

    Let it start from the leaders. Stop all these rallies, whistle stops etc. and abide by all laws especially in these unprecedented times.

    1. What world do you live in Vincy Lawyer? I do not see anywhere in Dr. Friday’s statement that accuses the ULP of having a policy of violence. Instead he is asking the leadership of the ULP to denounce the violence of a few of their supporters…THEY NEVER HAVE!!! Remember when a truck going to an NDP rally got in an accident and caused a young woman to lose her leg? THE ULP SUPPORTERS CELEBRATED and the ULP leadership LAUGHED AND did not denounce the celebrations! Then there are people like yourself that tryto TWIST THINGS (like some lawyers like to do). What sort of sick people are you ULP supporters? That is one reason why the NDP is much more popular this election; most Vincentians are extremely political but nevertheless fair and peace-loving people.

  4. Hope the Christian Council reconize this evil act and the people behind it and act on it ASAP. Also the police should investigate and bring those responsible to the court.

  5. We know that there’s a lot of illegal firearms in SVG. We do know also a lot of unscrupulous individuals are being given firearms license even though the Police gives a detailed & conclusive report with all these findings about these individuals they still get licenses from the Ministry of National security to hold a firearm. How much criminals in SVG are donate money to the government political campaign? Do the police know who they are ?

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