Montserrat’s Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Joseph E. Farrell on Friday released a statement condemning the physical attack on the St. Vincent & the Grenadines’ Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves.
Premier Farrell said that violence and personal assaults had “no place in Caribbean politics where democracy and the rule of law are the core values and principles of our Caribbean Community. We all agree that people do have a right to peaceful protest but physically attacking elected leaders or Government Representatives must be condemned.”
The premier added that there can be no compromise on this front as such acts of violence are a threat to national security and do not in any way help our democracies.
Premier Farrell stated that “Montserrat stands in firm solidarity with the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and looks forward to his continued contributions to the peace and stability of our Caribbean Community.
The St. Vincent & the Grenadines leader was injured Thursday during protests outside the parliament where the government was to vote on changes to the public health act. The changes would mandate that nurses and other public-facing civil servants be vaccinated to increase their protection against viruses such as COVID-19.
The 74-year-old leader was flown to Barbados to undergo an MRI on Thursday evening. He stated on his Facebook page Friday that there are “no neurological deficits” as a result of the injury. However, he must be monitored for the next four to six weeks.
