Activist and Leader of the Coalition of Independents, Lincoln Bain, was arrested outside of the House of Assembly yesterday for unlawful assembly. Bain and several others were at Parliament attempting to draw attention to issues of immigration and citizenship in the country. However, the group clashed with police.
As the situation deteriorated between Bain’s group and police officers, Bain told reporters, “I’m the leader of a registered political party delivering documents, delivering documents to members of parliament who had no problem receiving those documents. And an officer decided to assault me, to push me and to say that I should be arrested for assaulting for assaulting him when he assaulted me. I never touched him.”
Mr. Bain was eventually forcibly placed into a police vehicle and taken to Central Police Station.
Acting Commissioner of Police, Leamond Deleveaux, says of the situation, “police did their job professionally and the police will continue to bring their job professionally. No one is above the law, no one, including me.”
Mr. Deleveaux went further saying, “Bain never sought permission to assemble and obstructed entry to the House of Assembly. He said, “there is a likelihood that an investigation will be done and based on the investigations he will be charged and that’s it. And I think two other persons were arrested for similar offenses including disorderly behaviour.”
This is the second time Bain and his supporters have protested on immigration issues at the House of Assembly. This past September Bain protested the government’s citizenship bill which has yet to be brought to Parliament.
