Things turned ugly for members of the media who were providing coverage for a massive protest in the western village of Salisbury on Thursday when they were targeted by men in masks.
The men alleged that footage and pictures taken by the media were used by the police to arrest members of the community.
A reporter from Dominica News Online, Esther Durand, was among those who were affected by the incident. She said she was among a group of journalists standing on the porch of a house when the events began unfolding.
“We saw the people running away and quickly grabbed our cameras and snapped a few shots,” she said.
She stated she realized something was wrong when she and the other reporters saw the masked men running towards the house.
They vacated the porch and went inside the house which was surrounded by the men.
“The house we were in was surrounded by these men. We were terrified,” Durand stated. “My colleague had to crawl to retrieve our equipment and other personal belongings from a table on the porch to avoid being seen.”
She stated that a woman in the area had to lie to the masked men when she was questioned about the journalists.
“She had to lie to protect us,” Durand stated.
A camera man from another media house who had just came from filming a house reportedly riddled with bullets said he was traumatized by his own experience of being targeted.
“At that time I was fearing for my life …” he said. “The thing is those guys didn’t want cameras in the area ..”
The protest began after police arrived in the community to arrest individuals, who were allegedly involved in similar protest action on May 11.
Prayer of St. Francis Assissi – Peace Prayer
Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring your love.
Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord,
And where there’s doubt, true faith in you.
Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope,
Where there is darkness, only light,
And where there’s sadness ever joy.
Oh Divine Master, grant that I may never seek,
So much to be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love with all my soul.
Make me an instrument of your peace.
It is in pardoning, that we are pardoned,
In giving to all men that we receive,
And in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Masked men? The police would never wear masks as described. This is why their protest is illegal. Wearing masks at a protest is also illegal. They knew what they were up to.
Attacking the journalists? This is some type of protest. If they were up to any good they would not be wearing masks and going after the journalist to attack them. They do not want their faces to be seen. These are bad people. These people could harm others as also journalists and will never be caught.
The government will have to enact some new laws against illegal protests and wearing masks at protests.
Then the law should also state that any citizen can shoot the masked men. Then we will see if its really Salisbury people or the wicked, cowardly police out there masquerading in masks at the Salisbury protest. I am almost certain that the group of police would be going back to PHQ with a few members short.
Is that a tatical approach to remove the roadblock? Man these guys need to go back to training. All in one bunch coming from one direction in broad daylight? They don’t have a clue. Cant believe that is the best we have. I can see why they drop their guns and ran like the coward Iraqi soldiers
. No wonder why they were defeated so easily. The Roseau scout troop lead by Honourable Pappy Baptiste could have done a better job. Shame on the SSU (DLP Ton-ton-Macoute).
I AM SALISBURY, ARE U?
Assertive, NOT Aggressive!
How comes Skerrit never told us that China gave them police all these military masks, garments, shields, boots, guns, teargas and the likes…
the mask men were police officers the,reporter knows that
While we are condemning the actions of the alleged terrorizing of some journalists at Salisbury, no problems, we must also condemn statements made by so called back of the hand journalist Kamala. She publicly called the demonstrators of Salisbury HOT HEADED VACABONDS AND HOT HEADED HOOLIGANS. This woman claims to have a Bachelor Degree in journalism and also claims to know journalism like the back of her hand, and to make such a statement on radio during these sensitive times, must be strongly condemned. Hon. Hector John should insist that she makes a public apology to the people of Salisbury.
First of all the leader of the protest mr. hilary shillingford is a known drug dealer and criminal from young. so we ought not to be suprised of the dangerous tone that this protest is taking. you all can blame skerrit for all you want but if the previous protest as with this one did not chose to target innoccent people who were trying to go on there merry way we would not have people being arrested today. ok.
Makes me wonder of the bullet holes pictured in the house and whether it was staged.
That could well be a set up by the Police themselves. The cabal and its henchmen will do anything to maintain their hold on power and Dominica’s resources.
The regime operatives watching too much CIS Miami, California etc on TV lol
Long long ago we had a guy called tony Falcon in the movies. There was a little red guy from the west coast who became nicknamed Tony Falcon. He is somewhere inCanada over 30 yrs now then emerged The Fox yep fox in goodwill downgraded to a nobody status today after events of the 80’s then his fall in 97-98 commission of inquiry. PJ OJ Mamo, Eddo, (Rosie & Pierro died poor guys) now we have what no one could envisage as P.M and ministers ,president ,lawyers opposition leader etc DA done my friend we are now another HongKong -Part of the One China. Soon all Chinese will have dual citizenship with D/can passport. Gracias a Medard et Al. Like sand in an hourglass so are the days of NEO DLP flushed with former authentic DLPites now packed with former DFP-ites turn DLP just check who is the figure head and ribbon cutter very ,very quiet since becoming President.
Listening to kamala & hubby on Wednesdays, Matt in…
Cont’d
In the morning and the best of it all the callers does start off everyones day and make them ,us able to go thru a week even if after word daily in DA is happy hour. No longer Fridays for happy hour . everyday is Rum day.
so we will have a billion peeps on this little 365 sq miles? lol Thanks to Medard and his gang of ???
“…a house reportedly ridden by bullets”…DNO for real? How comes you did not mention the reportedly bullet ridden bodies and pools of blood? SMDH!!
If one of them Had Gotten “Injured” in the Thug Attack we all would have known who they were
WOW IS That DOMINICA NATIONAL FORCE All in once group behind an Excavator ? What are they up to ?
smh can’t understand
Fools don’t u realise that this were police officers masked as ‘thugs’ smh
Like I saw a comment on f.b that makes sense. If a gang of thugs want to harm some journalists, no woman or man can stop them from doing so. The police does these things to send a negative image about the protesters. It could be couple Labourite youths from the area, they’ve set to act like this. why would protesters harm journalists, when the journalists are getting there story out?
really??? you are the fool.
Some of you love to twist and turn stories. You are blaming the police and not the Salisbury thugs who are to be blamed. The police would not go after the journalists. Why would the police harm the journalists when the journalists are getting their story out? This makes more sense than the other way around as you stated.
One correction; I meant police “BRASS” not “brace”.
same thing lol like roti & riot.
I have one QUESTION to ask the police brace Skeritt and the rest of Dominica. If Dominica is a DEMOCRATIC State, what kind of freedoms do the citizens have. And what is the press allowed to report. Because reading these statements from the journalists covering the protests, it would seem as though the country is no longer a free state.
They have all the freedom in Dominica; too much of it which is why they act in this manner. If they do not conduct themselves in a legal manner as a good patriotic D/can, they forfeit their freedom. Yet they still continue to enjoy the freedom which Dominica accords.
Some of you are radicals and non-DLP’ers which is why you think and write in this manner. An illegal protest is an illegal protest. The police has a right to stop them and arrest them.
That is thuggish behaviour on the part of the masked men. Instead of targeting the media, they should use the media to get their message across.