AN election candidate – hoping to become the youngest ever States Member – has strenuously denied allegations that he has been expelled for Victoria College and described online rumours being spread about him as “horrendous”.
Gabriel Raimondo, who is standing for Deputy in St Brelade, does not turn 18 until days before the election on Sunday 7 June.
He said he had reported some of the comments to the police, who were currently trying to identify the individuals spreading the false information, adding that he did not know “why they have such hatred for me”.
“We are going through that process at the moment, because it is defamation,” he said.
Mr Raimondo said he was “incredibly shocked” by some of the things being said about him online.
“Unfortunately, there are fake accounts that are coming out, I suspect from the same group of people, that are saying that I encourage things such as domestic abuse,” he said, stressing that he had never made any such comments.
Mr Raimondo said that the rumour was being spread by a “small number of people” that he had been expelled from Victoria College, describing some of the comments directed towards him as “horrendous”.
He said he had heard multiple versions of the rumour, including that his alleged expulsion was due to him being verbally abusive and discriminatory.
“None of which is true,” Mr Raimondo clarified, explaining that he had initially decided to take an early study leave and then later to delay his A-level exams until the November sitting – citing a need to “put my all into this campaign”.
“I want to be there, I want to be present, and I want to really speak to people because it’s their voices that we need to hear,” he added.
I want to really speak to people because it’s their voices that we need to hear
Gabriel Raimondo
The Victoria College student is among the four candidates hoping to secure one of three Deputy seats up for grabs in St Brelade, alongside two current Deputies – Jonathan Renouf (independent) and Montfort Tadier (Reform Jersey) – as well as former Environment Minister John Young (Reform Jersey).
Mr Raimondo added that the response to his campaign had, on the whole, been “very positive”.
“There’s lots of support, lots of good conversations,” he said, adding that he was “door knocking and generally going out to as many events as possible”.
“[I’m] trying to talk to people, trying to see what they want for the Island,” he explained.
