The Ministry of Tourism has come out swinging in reaction to an editorial printed in last Friday’s edition of the Daily Observer titled We Don’t Want Them Here.

The editorial was based on the six tourists who were charged after causing a public brawl with the police. In the editorial, the Daily Observer accused the minister of tourism of not defending Antigua and Barbuda and the law when he appeared on the Tom Joyner Morning Show last Monday.

According to the editorial, the minister was not prepared with the facts of the case. He was ill at ease with his interviewers, and he threw the police force and the judiciary in Antigua and Barbuda to the wolves. It continued that the minister didn’t change the mind of one solitary listener, who had tuned in with their awesome sense of entitlement for no other reason than being American.

The ministry responded via a press statement expressing disappointment with the newspaper and accused the company of blatantly distorting the fact.

According to the ministry, all individuals within the borders of a country are governed by the rule of law and thus the matter involving the "American six" was solely to be determined by the court of law, as was the case.

"Contrary to the view expressed in the Observer article, there was no attempt by the Ministry of Tourism or any officer of the Ministry of Tourism to interfere with the exercise of the function of the police" the release stated.

It continued that any such interference would not only undermine the people’s confidence in the ability of the police to do their job, but also the very foundation on which the Constitution is built, that is the separation of powers between the judiciary, executive, and the legislative branches of government.

In the interview on the Tom Joyner Morning Show, the minister stated, "we are under what we call the Westminster system of government where you have a separation of powers and the police and the judiciary are independent of the political arm."

The ministry also refuted what was termed the "baseless allegation" in the article that he and others second-guessed the police and the courts.

"The ministry’s position in our meetings with the Antigua and Barbuda Cruise Association was unambiguous. So too is the minister’s position on Observer Radio in Antigua and on the Tom Joyner Morning Show in the USA."

The Daily Observer, however, countered the claims made by the minister in another article dated Monday 12 Oct., indicating that it stands strongly by its previous editorial.

"The officials in the Ministry of Tourism can revisit the interview all they want. They can apply revisionist and interpretation tactics, and they can now try to strong arm the public into sharing their view, but The Daily Observer stands by its editorial", the article stated.