Family photo during the last XIX ALBA-TCP summit held in Caracas last June (2021). Photo: Prensa Presidencial/file photo.
On Friday, August 6, Sacha Llorenti, the executive secretary of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-Peoples’ Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP), condemned the attack against Ralph Gonsalves, the prime minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, during a protest in the Caribbean nation.
Llorenti tweeted: “Our complete solidarity is with him, the government, and the Vincentian people. Ralph Gonsalves is essential to the Patria Grande.”
Condenamos de la manera más enfática el ataque perpetrado en contra del Primer Ministro de San Vicente y las Granadinas, @ComradeRalph.
Nuestra completa solidaridad con Ă©l, con el gobierno y el pueblo sanvicentino.
Ralph Gonsalves es un imprescindible de la Patria Grande.— Sacha Llorenti (@SachaLlorenti) August 6, 2021
Gonsalves was attacked on the outskirts of Parliament the day before, when a group of protesters threw stones at him and his entourage. The protest was organized by the political opposition against measures taken to stop the pandemic. Gonsalves was entering the headquarters of the San Vicente parliament when a stone thrown by protestors struck him in the head. He was taken to the hospital, where he was photographed with blood stains on his shirt.
The Community of Caribbean States (CARICOM) also rejected the attack against Ralph Gonsalves today. Gaston Browne, the president of CARICOM and head of the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, issued a statement on behalf of the regional body condemning the attack.
Browne called the attack “serious, almost fatal,” according to the doctor’s report and stated that introducing violence into CARICOM’s political life “is shameful and deplorable. Those responsible must be brought to justice with due haste.”
Browne explained that the attack is even more shameful because it occurred when the prime minister entered the national parliament, the highest legislative body in the state, which was holding a meeting.
Browne reaffirmed that there is no room for violence and physical assault in our CARICOM democracies, where the rule of law prevails and peaceful protests are fully respected.
Featured image: Family photo during the last 19th ALBA-TCP summit held in Caracas last June. Photo courtesy of Prensa Presidencial.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
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