Erasmus Williams

Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas' Press Secretary Erasmus Williams may be facing a lawsuit over an alleged physical assault perpetrated against an opposition activist on Monday.

According to Cyndie Demming, Deputy Chairperson of the People's Action Movement, Williams punched her in the face three times during Monday's traditional Labour Day March.

"I was in the middle of the march, not disturbing anyone. Then Mr. Erasmus Williams came walking up to me flashing his camera and I said to him, 'Erasmus, do not take my picture.' I called his name, so he knew I was talking to him, but he still continued. So, I put up my right hand in front of the camera lens, and this should give you an indication of the proximity he was in my personal space. I think I touched the camera and then he punched me three times and pushed me," she contends.

Although a video clip surfaced shortly after on YouTube, the alleged altercation was not captured. The viralled piece showed Demming, donning a yellow PAM campaign shirt, flustered and claiming that Williams had punched her in the face and that she wanted to file a report with the police. Williams was not visible in the video clip.

Demming said the alleged assault was "an infringement of my human rights" and that she was taking the matter before the Court to make an example of Williams.

"This is the kind of abuse and discrimination that is spoken against in the Beijing Convention on the Elimination of all forms of discrimination against women. And this happened in front of all the Labour leaders - Denzil Douglas, Sam Condor, Marcella Liburd, Timothy Harris - all of them were there. It happened during a march for workers to celebrate their rights. It's a worker's march; it's for me and you. Is it because I am an executive member of the People's Action Movement?" she wondered.

"I will take the matter to court. I will summons him and I will sue him. I don't want to do this just to get his money, but I want to make him a public example." Demming noted that she had filed an official police report on the matter.

Deputy Leader of PAM Hon. Shawn Richards says he condemns the alleged incident as "unjustified under any circumstances".

"It is certainly disheartening to hear of this kind of behavior coming from a senior civil servant who serves as the mouthpiece of the Labour Party and Government, someone who should be setting examples. I don't think beating, hitting or assaulting a woman is justified under any circumstances. Ms. Demming, in my humble opinion, was assaulted simply because she had the guts to participate in a workers march which has now turned into a Labour Party march," Richards said.

To date there has been no official comment from Press Secretary Williams and up until press time calls placed to his cell phone by this media house were not returned.