Men slap, box and kick ULP supporters

Three women are nursing injuries following a politically motivated altercation that occurred at Chateaubelair last Saturday, November 20.{{more}}

Kenlyn Michael, Stacia Burke and Yuclan Thompson were slapped, kicked and boxed by four men shortly after midnight, as a group of Unity Labour Party (ULP) supporters were painting the streets with the party’s slogans.

The three women recalled that the men started throwing sand on the freshly-painted slogans and one of them went and stood in protest to the men’s actions.

Yuclan Thompson, one of the women who was injured in the attack, told SEARCHLIGHT that she got involved in the fracas after the men started to beat her friend, Kenlyn Michael.

“One of the men came and started slapping Kenlyn. when she fell on the ground, they started kicking her,” Thompson explained.

She added that efforts by Burke and her to help their friend were futile.

The women received bruises and lacerations on their arms; Michael who received the worst of the beating wore an eye patch.

When SEARCHLIGHT visited the women on Monday, they related that they were still receiving threats on their lives and that of their families.

Dr. Jerrol Thompson, Area Representative, said that originally, the group of people were told by the group of men that they would not be able to paint any ULP slogans on the road and that they had owned the block and town.

He said that he got word of what had taken place shortly after 6 a.m. on Sunday. He said that he treated the women before instructing them to seek further medical attention for their wounds.

Thompson contended that the issue was serious as persons must be able to express their individual rights.

“And if the NDP is allowed to paint slogans on the road, then they should be allowed as well,” he told SEARCHLIGHT.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves said that he was not going to tolerate such actions.

“As Prime Minister, as political leader, as a lawyer and an officer of the court, I will not tolerate this – absolutely not!” Gonsalves told SEARCHLIGHT yesterday from the home of Yuclan Thompson .

“We have a lot of hypocrisy coming from the opposition and their thugs are setting up on our own supporters and then they are the ones saying that they want peace,” said Gonsalves.

“They speaking peace and waging war, the people of this country must know this,” said Gonsalves.

“They have turned to violence and desperation as they waging war while preaching peace,” he said.