The police force has announced an investigation into a report that PPP/C supporters were attacked and kerosene thrown on one of them after a party meeting at Victoria Village, East Coast Demerara on Wednesday.
Three of the PPP/C supporters yesterday recounted the attack—which was denied by villagers—and the ruling party called on the police, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and local and international observer groups to immediately launch an investigation into what it dubbed the newest attempt to intimidate its supporters. APNU yesterday accused the PPP/C of “misinformation”.
Police last evening confirmed the investigation into reports that five PPP/C supporters were attacked after the meeting by persons “who appeared to be APNU supporters.” In a statement, the force said the attack followed disruptions at the meeting by a crowd of about 300 persons, who were carrying placards with photographs of APNU Presidential Candidate David Granger, who approached and began to heckle the speaker.
A bottle was later thrown in the direction of PPP/C speaker Anil Nandlall but missed him, according to police, which prompted the ranks on duty to call for assistance. A police patrol from the East Coast of Demerara responded and assisted in moving the APNU supporters a safe distance away from the PPP/C meeting.
However, after the meeting, police said five PPP/C supporters, who were making their way to the Public Road, were allegedly surrounded and missiles were thrown at them. An attempt was then reportedly made to assault Ovid Wilson with a baseball bat, but his alleged assailant was disarmed by Clifton Harris, who police said was afterward doused with kerosene. “…Ovid Wilson, who is a licensed firearm holder and who became fearful, discharged two rounds from his firearm into the air,” police added, noting that at this stage ranks arrived on the scene and escorted the five persons to the Cove and John Police Station, where statements were taken.
Police offered to take the five persons to seek medical attention but they refused. Additional patrols were requested and assistance came from Georgetown.
There were no arrests up to last night, although police noted that efforts had been made to contact those persons identified by the virtual complainants.
As a result of the incident, the police force called on all political parties to advise their supporters to exercise restraint. “Any political party should be free to hold a political meeting anywhere in Guyana without being confronted and assaulted or having their meeting disturbed by supporters of another party,” it said, while also reminding parties that they have signed a code of conduct.
No stone will be left unturned to ensure that it investigates allegations of breaches of the law at political meetings by supporters of any political party, the force noted. It added that police working at the meetings and responding to any reports of disorderly conduct have been advised “to take firm action” to avoid situations getting out of hand.
A senior police officer told this newspaper that “every supporter will come with a different story and we will get the fullness of the story through an investigation.” He could not confirm if investigators were in possession of clothing soaked with kerosene.
Doused
Three of the supporters who were attacked recounted their ordeal at an emergency press briefing called by the PPP/C at Freedom House. Nabaclis resident Harris recalled that they were all standing peacefully at the meeting and first heard former PNCR member Joseph Hamilton speak.
According to him, persons who brought children, including toddlers, began chanting “we want (David) Granger, we want Granger” while PPP/C supporters ignored them.
At the conclusion of the meeting, he and other supporters left to seek transportation back home. “While standing there a minibus came up and stop at the road front and a set of young people emerged from the bus straight in our direction, [and] start attacking us brutally. They had things like baseball bats, bricks were pelting, bottles were thrown at us, sticks were thrown at us…” he said in shaky voice.
As he was passing a woman holding a small child, Harris said he was “doused with a whole bottle of kerosene on my whole left side.” He said he became the main target of the attackers and he started to run because “another group was coming with fire and a placard with Mr Ramotar with fire.”
The man recalled that the crowd kept chasing him and he later heard an explosion, which caused the crowd to scatter. Later at the Cove and John Police Station, he said, persons turned up and continued “harassing us.”
Loretta Culley, also of Nabaclis, and a mother of two, said that while the meeting was in progress, chants erupted and persons were calling for “Granger.” They also pelted bottles and bricks, she said, while adding that this situation forced the meeting to end abruptly.
She added that persons emerged from a minibus and started attacking them and she was pelted with bricks and bottles.
A visibly upset Culley later said she just wanted “the media to know that these things are real.” She said that early last Saturday people went to her home and threatened her. She said too that when walking down the street, she is called names and is constantly harassed.
A third Nabaclis resident Patricia Johnson, said that after the abrupt end of the meeting, the police escorted Nandlall to his vehicle—an account confirmed by police. She said that later a woman threw kerosene on Harris and ran off. She said that she then heard an explosion but was unsure where it came from.
Later, she added, a group of persons circled her and started physically assaulting her and called her names while chanting “Granger, Granger!”
“I was quickly rescued by a police woman,” she said.
Taunts and boos
When Stabroek News visited the Victoria community yesterday, residents said although more than one hundred APNU supporters converged on the rally shouting for Granger, the accounts of the attack were untrue.
One woman, who asked not to be named, explained that just after the meeting started, a group of teenagers, hiding in a nearby burial ground, started throwing “ganda eggs.” She said that at no time were bottles or any other objects thrown.
The woman added that she was at a location close to the meeting and could have heard what was being said and also saw those in attendance.
She said throughout the meeting “they been bad talking Granger” and apparently angered APNU supporters came out in their numbers, holding placards and flags. Some, she noted, were wearing Granger t-shirts.
When the meeting ended, she said, a crowd followed the three Nabaclis residents along with Wilson, as they headed to the main road. The crowd, she added, taunted and booed the PPP/C supporters. However, she said that at no point did she see any minibus pull up or persons circling the group, hitting them or throwing objects in their direction.
According to the woman, Wilson became so enraged that he pulled out his firearm and discharged three rounds, causing the crowd to disperse. A police inspector, she said, reprimanded him for his actions, saying that there was no need to fire shots since the persons in the crowd were only taunting them. The woman said that lies were being peddled and that at no time were APNU supporters violent.
Another resident, who was in the vicinity of the meeting, said that the APNU supporters were disruptive with their chants and threw ‘ganda eggs’ but at no time were other objects thrown.
Condemn
PPP/C campaign spokesperson Robert Persaud called on all parties and responsible stakeholders to condemn the violence against the party’s activists. “We have seen it at Buxton. We saw it on Nomination Day. We have seen other elements of it but we thought that with the signing of the code of conduct, at least there would have been some level of restraint…” he said.
Persaud, who added that persons ought to be free to express their political support, noted that among the principles agreed to in the code was there would be no violence by supporters. He said that violence during elections is not acceptable in a modern and civilised society. “…Last night (Wednesday) we saw a clear breach and infringement of persons representing the opposition, particularly APNU,” Persaud.
According to him, the persons who disrupted the meeting were transported to the site with the clear intention of instigating and clearly perpetuating violence.
He said that the party expects that there will be a quick and comprehensive investigation, so that the perpetrators can be brought to justice.
He said too that the party was going to raise the matter with GECOM and the observers. He questioned why the party was being targeted although its supporters and activists are conducting very peaceful public meetings.
When asked about the supporter who fired the rounds, Persaud said, “We are not investigators and they (the three victims) have provided the necessary statements to the police.”
He said that all sort of stories are being peddled around and that the intention is to make the victims the aggressors. “All we want is for the truth to prevail,” he stressed
Persaud said that attacks of this nature would not intimidate their supporters but would strengthen and energise them.
