Roper directs CoP to investigate post-election ‘bullying’
(CNS) Governor Martyn Roper weighed in on the political fight Monday when he revealed that he had asked the police commissioner to conduct an “urgent review” into what he said was bullying content on social media to “see if it breaks our laws” and “to monitor this matter very closely”. Roper said that he was “concerned and saddened” by the way some people have behaved, particularly in various online forums towards elected officials”. However, in response to CNS questions, the governor said that he had seen no direct evidence or reports of campaign donors, special interest groups or their proxies engaging in offline bullying, harassment or threats against candidates.
Roper said he recognised the uncertainty and that forming a government was a tense time, as he urged people to remain calm and be patient.
“Since the General Election I have been concerned and saddened to see the way in which some people in our community have behaved,” Roper said in the short statement. “The tone and content of some posts has been unpleasant and, some may say, bullying. I have asked the Police Commissioner to conduct an urgent review of this content to see if it breaks our laws and going forwards to monitor this matter very closely. Online harassment is not CaymanKind. It is not the Cayman Islands that I have come to admire and respect,” he said, adding that the process must be allowed to play itself out.
“We are lucky that on these islands we all enjoy the right to freedom of speech and expression but I ask everyone to exercise this in a respectful way,” Roper stated.
Despite the allegations of harassment and threats being perpetrated by campaign donors and other special interest groups against some MPs elect away from the glare of social media, the governor said that, as of Monday, the RCIPS had not received any complaint from elected representatives or members of the public that any major campaign donors, special interest groups or their proxies are engaged in offline bullying, harassment or threats.
“If any complaints are made, or concerns raised, the Police Commissioner will of course take them seriously and investigate,” Roper added.
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Category: 2021 General Elections, Elections, Politics
Riddle me this – why is he worried about this issue and so many others go unnoticed or reported?
Roper where was the outrage when the LGBT community was being disrespected in the house for the world to see and where were you when Bush beat the shit out of an innocent woman.
Please sit down and be quiet everyone knows you are Alden’s puppet. You aint running tings here the people have taken back their country. You don’t like it take your ass back to the UK.
He’s likes spying on anyone who he feels is “bullying.” This is the type of Gov we have.
Is this in response to a specific complaint raised with the governor? I am only asking because I am trying to get a better understanding about what issues are domestic issues and what issues fall under the responsibility of the governor. For example, I think that the governor indicated that he could not intervene after the recent conviction of Mr. Bush because it was a domestic matter. Can anyone provide some clarity on exactly what issues the governor is responsible for and what issues he would consider to be domestic issues where he would not get involved?
Mr Roper, – ‘concerned and saddened by the way some people have behaved towards elected officials’ but no stance whatsoever when elected officials openly chide and disrespect the LGBTQ community in the amongst all places the legislative assembly, your house ? – Respectfully maybe sit this one out.
And no response when from the LGBT community, their were some screen shoting people’s conversations on facebook, whatsapp, et cetera…, unreasonably reporting them to the police for hate speech. Roper never budge. Rather it seems encourage surveillance on dessenters of policies he supports. He should always be neutral on domestic affairs.
Exactly!
And beat a woman and then send anti gay messages to her.
Disrespect the LGBT Community? The unity government has disrespected the people of these Islands for the past 4 years and that is acceptable behavior in Roper’s opinion and the people voicing their opinion, which they have a right to, is criminal activity. Suppress the people in order to control, typical. It is time that the politicians awaken to the fact that they are not the Lords of the Manor, but mere servants and we will no longer allow the servants to control what is not theirs to control. The people will take their rightful place and no longer be dictated to. Would that make us criminals Mr. Roper?
Well we knew the developers and the merchants didn’t want a Premier who supported the environment and wanted to introduce consumer protection laws – didn’t realize the FCO had an issue with that.
I believe in a free election you vote for who you believe will be just and fair. You want to protest you go to Legislature building and show your placards. I don’t believe you go to someone neighborhood and curse and belittle him or her. The district has elected them. What can you really achieve? The vote has been casted. He/she won on the majority vote. What if the other side decides to do the same thing? Do we have a civil war? That is the system we have. Becareful what you do it may come back to haunt you. Besides it will probably be a mix of both parties anyway. Be patient the UK will come and solve whatever, maybe a new vote?
Uk has lots of cursing with placards at any prorest location…how they suppose to help and cant set example?
Harassment, bullying and threats? You mean like the RCIPS saying people complaining about breach of electoral law need to be careful they are not committing an offence? Or the Governor who can apparently thinks people expressing their anger over their representatives not fulfilling their pledge to be independent of the former administration is bullying, but has zero interest in investigating exactly what “arrangements” the PPM had with them or why people who had signed a letter to him supporting Wayne magically changed their minds within 24 hrs, but instead thinks the solution is to threaten those expressing their anger with RCIPS a rather than demonstrate that a neutral investigation is under way?
Roper just realized CaymanKindness is a myth. It is however tradition to tear down your fellow Caymanian.
ok – whose the bully? the voters of Cayman or this foreigner, Roper using his power to intimidate???
brutal aya
As I read all this anti ppm stuff and anti governor stuff and read the editorials and comments on CNS about how it is obvious that the country voted for change/not the ppm/ pro independents etc, I’m looking at CNN, where crowds are demonstrating outside the courthouse where the cop who killed George Floyd is being tried and a congresswoman is making it clear that there should be riots and trouble if the cop isn’t found guilty. I think we are in danger of going down a dangerous US road of rebelling when we don’t get what we think is ours to claim. Trouble is, others think the same thing…..
So instead of detailing our misunderstanding or even discrediting the popular vote, you have rambled on about a disconnected and irrelevant event. I’m guess after “thing ….” you passed out from drinking too much.
The US is doing what they gotta do and we are doing what we gotta do. Look at allll the riots in the UK as we speak and you will see this is not an American versus Cayman issue, but a ‘people are completely fed up issue’. Fortunately, I don’t see it going to those extents here for a few reasons. One, Caymanians are and will be respectful and go about protesting the right away. 2. It’s much easier to control a crowd in Cayman versus the crowds in the US so the RCIP could handle it if worst comes to worst. In summation, not only should nobody be afraid – I truly don’t think anyone is. It’s just a thinly veiled reverse threat against freedom of speech, and assembly. Pretty typical for PPM/Alden and his Covid Press Conference best buddy HE Gov. After all, nothing was said when a serving Minister told a certain reporter (wink wink) she was ‘brave’ to ask certain questions. #isntitironic #dontyouthink
Roper was brought here to be sub-servant and look the other way after the last guy almost caused a stink when he saw what was going on.
I wish people would stop using this cringeworthy Caymankind word. It is such utter bullshit. It’s Caymankind, for example for those people in the House, now Parliament, like Seymour to vote against civil partnerships and at the same time do a wink wink gaypril joke with his colleagues.
7.20 No what you are describing is “your kind’
Exactly, Roper impose same-sex partnership with a stroke of the pen. He could care less about democratic processes. He is for LGBTQ rights but could care less about the rights enshrine in our Constitution.
Caymankind is a slick marketing term used in the tourism industry to make visitors think we like them for something other than their money. Like most marketing terms, it’s a barefaced lie.
1. CoP reports to the Governor, so Guv has all authority to direct him;
2. Governor is not a politician;
3. Death and other threats uttered by “peaceful” protesters constitute BULLYING!;
4. Most of the commentators to this story have NO clue and are simply wrong;
5. The protestors have EVERY RIGHT to protest peacefully. Problem is, they’re protesting for something that is NOT OUR RIGHT. The People of EE and Prospect elected MPs who they feel are best for their constituency. They DID NOT/CANNOT elect a Government (nor did/can anyone other constituency) for the PEOPLE, the SELECTION of Government (Cabinet) is the duty of the ELECTED MPs and NOT that of the PUBLIC. Our Constitutional voice ended on April 14;
6. In a case like this, MPs have EVERY RIGHT to horse-trade, cut deals, etc., etc., to form what is to be a Government of ALL the People (not just EE & Pros)! They have this right with the expectation of not being BULLIED by the public!!
Quit BULLYING me with the threatening CAPS in you self-serving, substance lacking diatribe. CoP please get this scary clown.
Yes, I am offended and triggered too. CoP, help us.
Nothing said when Mac beats up a woman though right?
The course and police made sure he was grounded evenings for like a whole weekend!
One man’s bullying is another man’s freedom of speech. What specific crime is the CoP investigating?
Isaac should not worry about bullying from the Cayman Islands people; he is now formally opposition and EE will deal with him 🤷🏽♂️
He just doesn’t want to have a meeting and try to explain to his constituents why he betrayed their support out of personal interest.
If there is some kind of rule about being respectful, then you don’t really have freedom of speech. If you want to do power politics, you just have to suck it up and take it. As a lifelong bureaucrat, Roper is not well experienced to weigh in on this. Isn’t his job supposed to be outward facing?
So true, we saw with the gay issue how he never reprimanded certain LGBT supporters that screen shot local conversations on facebook and other sites, and reported to the CoP to have them under surveillance. I was really disturb how he belittled freedom of conscience, and said nothing about the LGBT bullying. He is a shady character to me.
It seems like most commenters did not watch the CMR live broadcast from East End or have a convenient memory. That broadcast was intimidating and scary with cursing and taunting thrown in. Maybe you all enjoyed that but it sure looked and sounded like bullying.
Various online forums! Not many to pick a variety from.
If that scared you, you must live on a white, puffy cloud. 😒
6.48 Yes it was scary because that is not the norm for Cayman. Maybe it bullying and intimidation is the norm where you come from but it is not the norm here. Not yet
Well, look who we are importing, and in what numbers. Why should there be any surprise?
HAHAHA Now that’s a good one. You trying to say all this is from imports???
You are a idiot moron.
That’s because you can’t keep them stupid forever. Cayman people finally waking up.
If that’s the case, then address that. This was a biased, politically motivated move in favor of the PPM (and a practically regurgitated version of Roy’s letter). As you can see, he’s only spoken out when his wife was insulted and now his bosom buddies. Not for the LGBT, or reporters bullied by sitting Ministers, or the Premier singing “Sammy dead and was killed by thieves…” etc. oh the irony of those lyrics! In other words, miss me with the BS.
If you don’t like it don’t watch it. That’s not bullying. Your weakness cuz you can’t handle the COLD HARD TRUTH … doesn’t mean it’s against the law. GO weh
I thought the Governor was supposed to be impartial? The UK should investigate him for his clear bias, how unprofessional.
6:29, state your grounds for saying this. Or is it just an anti ppm post?
Interesting that you connected that post to being anti-PPM. Says a lot.
Weeeell, usually you need a victim before you start investigating. Is there an actual victim making a complaint? No.
Right now the Victims are the people of the Cayman Islands.
So how do murder victims file complaints? Stop making made up excuses to try to explain away the laziness and incompetence of too many of our so called “robust law enforcers “
No bullying or intimidation? Well there wad a post by someone high up in yhe National Trust suggesting that maybe the people who voted for Sabrina and Isaac ‘should go ballistic’. That sounds real threatening and intimidating to me. Don’t believe it just read the comments on the Compass FB post on those two rejoining the Progressives.
I totally understand…but why does the National Trust have an arsenal of missiles?
7.14 Here’s your sign.
Lol! Snowflake.
Nadia Hardie resigned her position in the National Trust and left the islands. She is a entitled as any to her own opinion but she does not speak for the Trust.
Nadia Hardie resigned her position in the National Trust and left the islands. She is as entitled to her opinion as much as anyone. She does not however represent the National Trust in any way.
Everyone knows the Governor is Alden’s puppet.
Maybe UK should remove him as governor for not being neutral!
6:04 YES!!!!!
That should no be a hard thing to do seeing that the UK is so vulnerable at this time in her history.
What bullying is he talking about? HE needs to be much more specific, otherwise this comes across as an attempt to silence the people.
And a similar message to MP’s to be more respectful to others would be even more effective, given the many occasions where many of them bully each other and the general public.
What next?!
Wow, wow, wow it cannot get any better. How dare the Governor now jump in to ask that WE the people who voted and VOTED for change just shut up and allow the process to unfold. To what? Corruption? Bias on his part? Dictatorship? The answer is NO sir, you sit your bunky down and ensure our rights are being honored, and if there truly is threat to someone by all means investigate but do not tell us the voting public to hush it’s not going to happen.
What I personally find interesting is the fact that the folks elected are supposed to be mature, intelligent adults which apparently they are not as it baffles me how they, the elected cannot come together to find a common ground and put the best people in to form a great government (not PPM and not PACT only) but all together to put a dynamic government who has the best interests of our country, our people, our children, our future BUT no here we are like a bunch of toddlers not wanting to give up power, title, money. Makes me wonder why Roy will not work with Wayne but then I thought about it. His wife is employed by DART enough said. It’s a shame that we no longer have a democracy, but we sold to DART and HE is the Premier because like it or not he is running the show and will not accept our choice of who the majority voted for, the voice of change because this would affect the master plan along with the other money mongers we have so graciously invited onto our shores, modern day pirates. Then what’s the point of elections? it’s just a damn shame we’ve lost our country, we’ve lost our ability to put greed aside, we’ve lost everything BUT the only thing that remains is our dignity, our pride, our ability to be heard and demand we get the change we asked for. So Governor Roper just be prepared on Wednesday to see us the voters make that change and not through bullying or threat but with our love of this country, our voices.
Well said!
Some of the blogs out there do not understand simple truths.
The Indepenants are not a party. The PPM party overwhelmingly has the mandate to govern simply because there is no other party to contest.
not even worth commenting on…what a bunch of rubbish
I thought the governor was supposed to be a diplomat, not a PPM supporter.
They are both in league with you know who.
Thanks Governor. Would you mind also asking the Commissioner to also investigate and where appropriate prosecute other breaches of law? Nothing dramatic. Just stuff like status grants to friends and senior officials …
Add breaches of quarantine to that list!
Never liked him
So now we are not able to exercise our democratic rights?? This Governor is horrid.
5.40pm yes you may exercise your democratic rights but you have to do so without trampling on the rights of others.
6:20 So don’t do what PPM and PPM supporters do everyday? Who was trampling on anyone else’s rights? The majority spoke.
What rights have been trampled? Before you answer are some of those willingly lost on election to a public position? Was it both way’s in this particular circumstance with one side being more honest and generally better?
I so confused, angry, disappointed and going mental at this post.
We have the right to vote but we do not have the right to protest what we whole-heartedly feel is a situation that we do not agree with.
No violence occurred and no one encouraged it.
Bullying has gained a new definition and low and behold in it it should include no Caymanian should not dare think to speak up or else …
5:32 The Governor and his PPM pals are trying to silence us with these underhanded tactics. By speaking out we are now bullies and need to beware.
RCIPS aren’t ambulance chasers, or certainly shouldn’t be. If someone makes a legitimate complaint then investigate. Until then, leave well alone. The COP should NEVER be directed by a politician to do anything. It’s called without fear or favour. Peel’s principles number 5
‘Police seek and preserve public favour not by catering to the public opinion but by constantly demonstrating absolute impartial service to the law’.
Colonialism yes and we’ve come too far to allow his tyranny to take away our freedom.
No TYRANNY HERE!
Colonialism at its finest!
I saw a former Commissioner of Police now living here telling a poster on facebook that he should not call the governor “pal” because that is disrespectful. I guess he will soon be in jail.
The thing I don’t understand is in the Uk you can protest and voice your disapprove of an issue but Cayman the same people want to tell you it can’t work . Slavery is coming to an end . The people will no longer be brainwash. This isn’t the cotton fields .
Why they keep smiling/laughing, like its all a big joke ?
Yes but us locals are not allowed to speak or protest..It bullying and aggressive behavior..
He just opened up a can of worms that I bet he wishing he had kept closed now.
Ummmh, yea, genius boy seems to have things a$$backwards as usual. What a clusterF#$@ clown.
But yet no investigation regarding alleged bribery?
Somebody needs to make a report of bribery first numbn#ts
5:01 calm down PPM lover
You can just go ahead and type it, if that’s what you want to say. Numbnuts. See? It’s pretty much what I think of people who rely upon insults in a debate instead of logical discourse. Thanks for bringing it up.
Yeah. Like the poor sod who made a complaint about Alden saying he would double handouts to tourism workers having his complaint dismissed immediately and warned that the complaint itself was potentially a breach of the law.
Oh so now Mista Gov is trying to sensor our voices? Come in like FB and Twitter
I had started to question the Governor’s impartiality but in my mind this statement all but confirms that he is impartial. Where was the statement reminding MP’s that the people have a constitutional right to free speech and protest?
*Biased
Freedom of Expression is a right for everyone in these islands. How does the old saying go? “Sticks and stones”… grow a pair. What he needs to spend his time investigating is allegations of bribery going on during the ‘horsetrading’
Are you kidding? Say one negative thing openly about someone with financial means on that island. You’ll be swamped in frivolous litigation and extorted! One firm in particular specializes in frivolous legal action…
And what about when speakers violently bully a women?
So was it bullying when McKeeva Bush warned Martyn Roper that “cockroach has no business in a rooster fight”?
OK children – today’s lesson is on bullying
The important thing is that it is OK to bully people you disagree with but there is no need to bully people who believe and do exactly as you want them to.
Lesson 2: bullying grown men with truths is significantly more devastating than bullying young woman with fists.
Perhaps his excellency could take appropriate action against Mr McLaughlin for his vile, disgusting and downright shameful behavior toward Mr. Jackson during his campaign. Inciting violence, singing death threat songs like a drunken hooligan on stage at his rally. How about we start there and let Mr McLaughlin be accountable for his behavior. Frankly, he is unfit for office.
Report it to the police if that is what happened.
Whether it happened is not for debate- the video of him doing it is all over the internet.
Report it if you think that it constitutes a crime
Luckily for Alden, Sammy isn’t thin-skinned like him. However, Alden does deserve to be sued for defamation, because some of the things he said were flat-out lies.
It’s a Jamaican folk song. Quite sure you have heard it before.
Cool. Still in bad taste and not what I expect from the leader of any country. I knew Alden was an asshole, but I never expected him to stoop so low. His disgusting behaviour should not be tolerated, condoned, or ignored.
Perhaps, hardly a crime however.
Maybe not, but defamation is.
Actually, in the entire context it probably is defamation. Possibly intimidation of violence. It’s actually worse than the short video that’s going around which was trimmed too early in the narcissistic speech by our dishonorable “premier”
Quite frankly, I’m now concerned about the impartiality of the Governor. The people have a right to protest. He should be ashamed seeking to help Roy/Alden silence Caymanians who have finally found their voices
This Govesnore is so full of it.
This Governor knows nothing about Caymankind or the people of these islands. He has always had his own agenda that he is trying to push from day 1. What he should look into is Caymanians being bullied, harassed, and abused by the past corrupt government. How is people peacefully protesting for their rights anything to be shamed about?? It is not bullying, it is finding our voices that have been oppressed for far too long. Enough is enough!
If there have been people truly bullying and threatening anymone, then yes it needs to be dealt with. However, do not try to shame the Cayman community for taking a stand and making their wants and needs be heard. New and positive change is needed in this islands. It is due time that PPM, the Independents, and this Governor take into account the voice of the people.
Completely agree. How dare he speak up now when the PPM have been bullying all of us and other election candidates for years. Jon Donkey sat on stage next to him and bullied Wendy. Are you kidding me??!!
And when this investigation leads nowhere I hope they will turn to investigating the persons and groups making these false accusations.
When the PPM says bullying and intimidation they mean people having the audacity to disagree or oppose them publicly.
Not to mention these people now claiming they are being bullied and intimidated said nothing when their supporters and members were talking about making examples of gay people here, doing things like calling into to local radio shows and talking about how gay people should be rounded up and shot or deported en masse and the police “investigated” and to the surprise of no one with cognitive abilities nothing ever came of it despite documented evidence in the form of screenshots and recordings
So this “bullying” the Governor and PPM weighs in…not the type that leaves a young woman bruised and battered her employment…interesting.
3:55 couldn’t have said it better myself. He suddenly found his voice in this matter.
I can’t even with this Governor. What is he thinking!!?? Of all the things to speak up against he chooses the people exercising their democratic rights!!!
“I can’t even with this Governor” What the… Do your parents know you are making unintelligible comments on he internet?
How old are you?
I guess at least 38 people understood it, maybe… lol
Look ya! These citizens applied for the MP position and were successful in their application but we, their employers, must coddle them and spoon feed them? If they have not started cooking and already cannot take the heat, they need to rethink if they really want this job! It is called freedom of expression. No one was attacked so what is the big deal?
Oh please! Give me a break.
KMT! You can read some BS.