Latest update January 20th, 2025 4:00 AM
Parliamentary staffer assaulted for protecting Speaker’s Mace, files complaint with ERC
Kaieteur News – A complaint has been lodged with the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) over the racial and physical assault meted out to Parliamentary staffer and Personal Assistant to the Speaker, Ean McPherson on Wednesday night during the chaos which ensued at the National Assembly ahead of the passage of the controversial Natural Resource Fund Bill.
A screengrab of the video in which Parliamentary staffer and Personal Assistant to the Speaker, Ean McPherson was seen lying on the floor holding unto to the Speaker’s Mace.
McPherson, a former joint services officer, was dragged out of the House by Opposition Parliamentarians in the National Assembly as he held on to the Speaker’s Mace, which they seized in the middle of the presentation of the Bill.
In a video, which was circulated on Facebook shortly after the Mace grabbing incident, McPherson could be seen on the floor of the conference room of the Arthur Chung Convention Centre (ACCC) laying on his back, clasping the Mace tightly to his chest. It was at this point of the recording that an Opposition Parliamentarian who was later identified as Maureen Philadelphia, was seen standing over him and shouting the derogatory racial slur “house n**ro.”
Moments after filing his complaint at the ERC yesterday, McPherson told members of the media that he acted on impulse after he saw opposition Member of Parliament, Annette Ferguson grab the Mace.
He said that his intention was to protect the critically symbolic parliamentary device from being stolen. In spite of his good intentions, the Parliamentary staffer was reportedly dragged, kicked and verbally abused.
“They throw me on the ground, they kicked me, they dragged me outside and then (Parliamentarian) Philadelphia started to abuse me with a series of racial words…I prepare a letter and brought it here [ERC] to express my concerns of how I was treated,” McPherson related to the media.
At present the ERC which holds the responsibility to investigate racist incidents has only a Secretariat and is without a Commission. However, McPherson expressed hope that his compliant will be investigated and duly dealt with in time.
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