St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves had to be whisked away to safety by police and security personnel, after protesters targeted during demonstrations outside the Parliament building in Kingstown on Thursday afternoon.

A protester, who the Vincentian government has identified as a supporter of the country’s Opposition party, launched a stone behind Gonsalves, hitting him in the head and triggering heavy bleeding.

The streets were filled with Vincentians expressing opposition to recent changes to the country’s Public Health Amendment Bill – which requires certain categories of state employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19 in order to work in specified frontline jobs.

PM Gonsalves was rushed to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital to be treated, where he will remain overnight.  

According to a release from SVG’s Office of the Prime Minister, PM Gonsalves stated that “no lawless mob will prevent him from doing the people’s business in the seat of our democracy”.