Protesters & police clash in Dominica
Videos, still images and eyewitnesses could only explain so much when the country saw lingering protesters and the local law enforcement officials confronting each other in a rock and bottles throwing tirade which resulted in broken store windows and looting. Some roads were also blocked and fires ignited on the streets, resulting in the police resorting to the use of tear gas to restore some semblance of order.
Prime Minister Skerrit, following a first-hand look of the battered city, said in a statement later in the day, today Wednesday February 8, 2017, that neither he nor the Government had any intentions to “get out” due to any groups or individual but only through the ballots.
Attack on democracy
Meantime, the blame game has begun, with the Prime Minister Skerrit and the Minister for National Security Honourable Rayburn Blackmore describing the recent events as an attack on the state and democracy, pointing the finger on the Opposition UWP as the culprit.
They vowed that lawmen will get to the bottom of the incident, which has lit up social media and has been hitting the local and regional news headlines.
This is what the Prime Minister had to say as he addressed the nation earlier today.
“Nobody and no group of individuals is going to get me out or my government out without going through the ballots of Dominica,” he said during his speech at the AID Bank’s 24th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held today, Wednesday, at the Fort Young Hotel.
He alluded to his visit to the various business places that received damage saying that the riot was “organised clearly by the leadership of the United Workers Party and their associates.”
Christians lambasted
He continued, “It is incomprehensible where Christian people in this country, those of us who have a Bible and go to Church every morning and praise God would be condoning the actions of this United Workers Party because of our partisanship? And we call this country ours? That we love this country? That we are not prepared to stand in defense of the people who have invested their money and criminals go about the streets and destroying these people investments?”
He added that the violent acts had nothing to do with him as the leader of the country but had everything to do with the country and its future, stating that when the wrong impression is sent to the world that Dominica is not a place to do business and to come to visit. “How are we going to create jobs in Dominica? How are we going to sustain the economy? How are we going to expand the economy to address the poverty levels in our country?”
The country’s leader pointed out that him being silent should not be misrepresented as a weakness.
“I am measured with my approach in life,” he said, “But let it be known that there should be no actions on the part of individuals in Dominica to overthrow this government. So if that is their intention, I am sending a message to them, they better rethink their plans,” he stated.
In conclusion, he remarked that the violence was planned and calculated, saying that the business places that were targeted were not just random and those who committed those acts are in fact criminals who got paid, and he wants to find out, “Who paid them?”
Opposition still pushing for Skerrit to resign
The Opposition has pledged to take a petition for the resignation of Skerrit around the country, in search of “a few thousand” signatories.
The Opposition Leader Lennox Linton also commented on the riotous acts, saying it was merely a “plot at work” under the cover of darkness, querying the reason why the police officers who were on duty stood and watched the pressure build in the town before nipping it in the bud.
_01.png)
Follow Us On
28 Responses to “Protesters & police clash in Dominica”
All u have so much mouth do things on all u own. Stand up for all u country and treat others how all u expect to be treated and then maybe the expats will help in that area.
In the meantime, those that Born Here let them do what they want or do nothing at all like they doing now.
https://audioboom.com/posts/5579112-prc-iran-money-laundering-and-sanctions-busting-in-the-caribbean-gregory-copley-defense-foreign-affairs