United Workers Party (UWP) candidate for Vieux Fort North, Callix “Kakal” Xavier, has found himself at the center of political controversy after a video clip of a heated exchange at his recent public meeting in Pierrot went viral.
The short clip circulating on social media shows Xavier confronting a man in the crowd, prompting accusations that he had threatened an individual. The ruling Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) has since condemned his behavior, describing it as inappropriate for someone seeking elected office.
Xavier, however, has pushed back strongly against the criticism, insisting that the viral clip does not reflect the full context of what transpired. “There was an incident which took place on Saturday, which you only saw a short clip of on social media. On that night, the Labour Party unleashed their operatives at my meet and greet in Pierrot. It is an offense to disturb any meeting or public gathering. Before I even started this meeting, I saw persons swearing at us, making threats at us,” Xavier said in a statement.
The UWP hopeful argued that the disruption was deliberate and orchestrated. “The operatives disturbed the meeting to an extent where I had to speak to one of them, the one that was in the crowd recording,” he explained.
While maintaining he did nothing wrong, Xavier acknowledged the fallout the incident caused among his base. “Just a short clip was shown on social media, which stated that I threatened a young man. I will not apologize for anything that I didn’t do. But I must admit, because of just the clip that was played, some of my supporters and persons who believe in me, they were scarred. So to them, I issue an apology. I did nothing wrong, but I still issue an apology,” he said.
However, Xavier made it clear that his apology was directed only at his supporters, not at those he accused of disrupting his event.
“I will not apologize to the would-be criminals or those persons who want to come to our meetings,” he declared, issuing a warning to future hecklers.
