President Irfaan Ali said that the threat of assassination made against him is “unacceptable.”
An Opposition Member of Parliament joined the scores of citizens who took to the street on Tuesday morning to protest, which quickly evolved into violent looting and destruction of property.
In a Facebook livestream shared by the MP, a citizen was clearly observed saying, “We will be killing the President too.”
His only response was “emotions are running high,” - which President Ali expressed his disappointment with.
“This is unacceptable in a democratic society. This is a separate issue, and it must be subject to investigation by the Guyana Police Force,” the President noted.
In a subsequent statement on his Facebook page, the President said that since the incident, “I [he] have received an outpouring of love and support. Today, I will be holding my family and the extended Guyanese family tighter.”
He also noted that he would be asking the Parliament “to pass a unanimous resolution decrying political violence and threats of assassination. Because, in order to build one Guyana for all, we must speak with one voice that threats of political violence and assassination will not be tolerated in our democratic society.”
Allegedly “protestors” took to the streets after a false report by a controversial Facebook page with a large following posing as a news agency posited that the rank who executed Quindon Bacchus had been freed from custody.
The post has since been retracted, and the police have assured citizens that the rank remains under arrest and confined to Police Headquarters.
