ULP condemns attempted fire-bombing of Democrat House

The Unity Labour Party (ULP), through Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, has condemned the attempted firebombing of Democrat House, the headquarters of the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP).

Gonsalves has also stressed that any attempt to link the ULP to the fire was “simply outrageous and to suggest any kind of nefarious political input of an organized kind is just entirely without foundation.”{{more}}

Stressing that he empathizes with the NDP, Gonsalves said, while speaking on Star FM on Wednesday, that if the incident was indeed attempted arson, it must be denounced in the strongest possible terms and it is abhorrent, and completely contrary to the way we conduct competitive democratic politics.

He stressed that the fact that anybody would even contemplate or think to do something of that nature or think that the ULP is involved, “shows how twisted their minds are.”

Gonsalves, who is also head of national security, said that Commissioner of Police Michael Charles has been in touch with him on the matter and it is being investigated.

According to the Prime Minister, Charles told him that at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, April 5, Superintendent Ruth Jacobs, head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), after receiving a report that there had been an attempted arson at Democrat House, dispatched a sergeant attached to the CID to the scene.

“I have asked the Commissioner to keep me up to date in the same way as with the other fires and attempted fires, the one at VINLEC, the old government building, Jomo Thomas’ office and the burning of the $1.4 million in material…we have to get to the bottom of all of these things and I have asked the Commissioner to redouble his efforts,” said Gonsalves live on air.

The nation’s leader stressed that incidents like these have “no part in mature tolerant democratic political discourse or activities,” while he also gave the assurance that as Minister of National Security, he will continue to push the police to get to the bottom of these incidents, including this latest one.