London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Attaboy?! Controversial ‘Gus’ Jaspert rewarded with CMG title by UK

Attaboy?! Controversial ‘Gus’ Jaspert rewarded with CMG title by UK

While the Government of the Virgin Islands (VI) had complained to the United Kingdom (UK) Government of the alleged disregard for the Virgin Islands Constitution, disrespect to the legislature and disregard for the right of the territory to seek more autonomy and ultimately independence by then-governor Augustus J. U. Jaspert, it did nothing, according to Premier Andrew A. Fahie (R1), but has instead rewarded Jaspert with royal honour.

According to the Birthday Honours 2021 Overseas and International List published by the UK government on June 11, 2021, Mr Jaspert was given the Order of St Michael and St George.

‘Gus’ rewarded by UK!


The controversial ex-governor, who it is alleged called a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) in the Virgin Islands during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic because he was vexed he was unable to get his way with the democratically elected Virgin Islands Party (VIP) government, was conferred with the title of Companion (CMG).

The Order of St Michael and St George is traditionally awarded to ambassadors and diplomats and senior Foreign Office officials who have served abroad. It has three ranks, the highest of which is Knight Grand Cross (GCMG), followed by Knight Commander (KCMG) and Companion (CMG).

It was in June 2020, that the image on the badge for the Order of St Michael and St George had come in for strong criticism from persons who believed it was reminiscent of the May 25, 2020, killing of George P. Floyd Jr by white police officers in the US that led to worldwide protests.

The imagery on the award’s badge portrays St Michael trampling on Satan, but campaigners, according to The Guardian, say the image is reminiscent of the killing of George P. Floyd Jr by white police officers in the US that led to worldwide protests.


Image ‘offensive’


According to British newspaper, The Guardian, campaigners had called for the redesign of the award because they said its badge resembles a depiction of a white angel standing on the neck of a chained black man.

The imagery on the award’s badge portrays St Michael trampling on Satan, but campaigners, according to The Guardian, had said the image is reminiscent of the killing of George P. Floyd Jr.

A petition had called for the medal to be redesigned.

Former governor Augustus J. U. Jaspert was accused of frustrating the efforts of the elected government of the Virgin Islands during his tenure.


Was Gus racist?


Coincidentally, Mr Jaspert had angered some Virgin Islanders who felt he had uttered racist and insensitive statements when he said that the Virgin Islands descendants of slaves should not look forward to reparations for chattel slavery.

Further, Jaspert, who was also recently given a job by Prime Minister Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, who himself has been labeled as racist, had suggested that the Virgin Islands preserve the names of landmarks named in honour of persons who were involved in the slave trade and who would have also committed crimes against humanity.

This was even after statues of persons involved in the slave trade were being torn down in the United Kingdom and even dumped in rivers.

Mr Jaspert never apologised for his statements but instead departed the Virgin Islands mere days after announcing a controversial Commission of Inquiry on Martin Luther King Day, Monday, January 18, 2021.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
Jellyfish Swarm Triggers Shutdown at Gravelines Nuclear Power Station in Northern France
×