Social media whips donkey-riding priest

In observance of Palm Sunday which starts Holy Week, Taylor rode on the back of a donkey to commemorate the day Jesus Christ rose one to enter into Jerusalem.

But social media critics described Taylor’s act as a shameless display of animal cruelty after a photo of the event at the St Charles RC Church in Tunapuna was carried on the front page of another newspaper yesterday.

The priest has re-created the Palm Sunday scene for years in his previous parishes. The donkey was being pulled by a rope which was tied around its mouth.

Social and political activist Phillip Edward Alexander re-posted the picture on Facebook.

He described the image as “Animal cruelty in the name of religion.” Over 60 people commented on the post.

While a few commentators joked that they saw nothing wrong with Taylor “riding the prime minister”, the majority of commentators were serious in their outrage.

“I’m so angry by looking at this pic, look at how the a** (the priest) tie the animal’s mouth,” commented one person. “What an idiot – and these are the people being looked up to,” wrote another.

“Terrible. We need stricter laws for animal abuse” and “We really have to wonder which one is the real donkey,” said two others.

Donkey lovers certainly were in the majority yesterday, but there were a few people in between who questioned their outrage.

One man said “the sad part is that most of your grandparents or great grand parents may have ridden on donkeys. They would be ashamed to hear the rubbish you all are speaking.” Alexander answered the detractors by posting an article from a Canadian website which described ways in which people could determine whether or not a donkey was in distress. “The donkey is actually trying to communicate his distress. Ears back and down: there is something wrong.

Do NOT approach,” wrote Alexander.

Newsday reached out to several animal rights activists for their position on the issue. The Trinidad and Tobago Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals declined comment as their spokesperson was not present at the time. Activist and hairdresser Jowelle de Souza, however, joined the outrage by saying, “Words can’t express how I feel about that situation, however, the jack** is him.” Also contacted for comment was activist Nalini Dial who did not understand why people were up in arms. “Is it that he is overheavy or something? From the photograph he is quite small. Aren’t donkeys meant to be ridden? People are just making a big thing out of nothing.”