The United National Congress (UNC) on Tuesday wrote to the acting Commission of Police (CoP) asking for an investigation of an incident on Monday night at a political meeting in the St Joseph constituency. During a speech by the St Joseph candidate, former High Court Judge Herbert Volney a group of young people walked through the crowd with professionally made placards demanding that Volney explain a decision he made in a murder case several years ago.
The message in the placards was a demand for Volney to explain why he directed a jury to free murder accused Brad Boyce in the killing 19-year-old Jason Johnson in 1996.
Volney asked UNC supporters to ignore the protesters, saying they are entitled "to exercise their constitutional rights and I stand for their rights. So let them pass in peace and let them be gone!" he shouted.
But while he accepted the rights of the protesters, whom he described as CEPEP workers paid by the PNM to do it under threat of dismissal from their jobs, he was not amused at the lack of a police presence.
"These people are committing conduct that could cause a disruption of the peace. And that is a criminal offence. And I call on the police officers to have them removed now!" he said.
Read the story: Protest interrupts Volney's show
The group dispersed without incident but the UNC has expressed deep concern about it. In a letter Tuesday the party asked the CoP to ensure that there is a greater police presence at meeting to protect citizens and keep the peace.
On Tuesday, UNC candidate for Caroni East Dr Tim Gopeesingh condemned what he called "the incitement tactics of (Patrick) Manning by sending placards to a UNC meeting."
He added, "PNM got the ultimate shock though. They saw that UNC Coalition supporters are civil, intelligent and mature to would not participate in the violence the PNM was trying to incite."
Gopeesingh urged supporters to be "strong and dignified in your conduct" in the election on May 24 and use their civil power to vote the Manning government out of office.
1 comment:
This only highlights the struggle that the people's partnership is going through.However there is a saying;whenever God wants to give you a gift,He sends it in the form of a problem for which you have to solve;the bigger the problem,the greater the difficulty,the bigger the gift will be;the sweeter the victory will be.
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