A pastor and his family who were attacked after a peaceful protest at West Berbice turned violent on Sunday last have forgiven their attackers and do not plan to press charges.
The protest began after the gruesome murders of two teen boys, Isaiah and Joel Henry, who were found dead in Cotton Tree, West Coast Berbice backdam last Sunday.
In a Facebook post, Sabrina Persaud, the wife of Pastor Premraj Parshotam, shared the ordeal they suffered at Number Five Village, while on their way home after leaving their church at Haslington.
In the post, she said her husband, Parshotam, who needed no introduction as he is well known, was removed from his bus and beaten by angry protesters because of his East Indian ethnicity.
While he was being assaulted, she said, he stood and took every blow, all the while saying to his attackers that he was a pastor and just needed to get home. According to her, his assailants said they did not want to hear it as they suggested that they would kill persons of East Indian ethnicity in apparent retaliation for the murders.
Meanwhile, their two sons, ages 18 and 12, were seated in their vehicle. The younger one, age 12, was quite distressed by what was happening and was “screaming scared,” she noted.
She said the protesters opened her side of the vehicle and pulled her out, while demanding that she provide them with whatever valuables she had, to which she complied. After the protesters emptied her bag on the road and took what they wanted, they then took her son’s laptop.
The post also stated that the protesters threw a bicycle repeatedly on the vehicle’s windscreen, to ensure that it was broken.
The woman recalled that three or four men of African descent approach-ed her and one held her hand and said: “Aunty come with me, walk with us, walk like normal, we will help you and your family.”
In the post the woman noted that while being led by the rescuers, she begged two individuals who were standing on their steps watching the ordeal unfold, to help her two sons, by allowing them to hide in their yard.
They both refused to help and responded with, “Not my yard, don’t open my gate.”
As she continued walking towards a police vehicle, she said she heard a person saying, “Take them to the back street.” and explained that she was unaware as to the purpose of the suggestion. How-ever, one fellow kept saying “… no, let’s take them to the police van.” She related that what transpired next was “all blur to me.” She did recall seeing the police and “begged” them for an escort out of the area… which they did. In her post she expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the policemen for their assistance.
Despite suffering from impaired vision likely as a result of the beating he received, her husband was able to drive them back to the East Coast.
When contacted by Sunday Stabroek, the woman said that they had no intention of pressing charges; rather, they have forgiven those who offended them. She emphasised that they are encouraging peace and love among all the races.
The post started by saying, “I strongly condemn the senseless and brutal killing of the Henry’s boys. My prayers and sympathies [go] out to their family, Sis Gale and her son are no stranger to my husband. They used to be a member of one our church before she moved to West Berbice.”
The pastor’s wife ended her post by disavowing all racists and expressed her gratitude to the young men who helped her and her family.
