He is known for the fiery style of his sermons — and the Reverend Nicholas Tweed did not disappoint when People’s Campaign members gathered to discuss his work permit row yesterday.

The embattled pastor told a packed St Paul AME Centennial Hall that he was “not in the business of following Caesar Augustus, but I follow him who is a peasant from Galilee”.

He had appeared with fellow People’s Campaign leaders Chris Furbert, president of the Bermuda Industrial Union, and Bermuda Public Services Union president Jason Hayward.

The trio drew applause and cheers from the audience before leading them on a march to the temporary home of Cabinet on Reid Street.

According to home affairs minister Patricia Gordon-Pamplin, the Department of Immigration rejected a renewal of the pastor’s permit because of missing details. The minister upheld the decision, saying: “There is one set of rules for everyone, otherwise the system breaks down.”

Yesterday, Mr Tweed argued that “during the appeals process, we heard absolutely nothing from any of them — except after a decision had been made”.

He told supporters: “I could have come and sat comfortably in church and I could have delivered nice ‘not now, later on’ sermons, and I could have just talked about how we have to love each other and turn the other cheek.

“If ever I was at that junction, I was reminded that the Government didn’t call me to preach.”

Saying he had observed the suffering among members of his own congregation, the pastor continued: “I understand that God sent me here for such a time as this, that I might speak with power and authority.”

To a cheering congregation, Mr Tweed added: “The Bishop didn’t send me here because of who my daddy was. The Bishop didn’t send me here because of whether I was married, single or in between; that’s not why the Bishop sent me here. I am an itinerant elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.”

Mr Tweed said he had “come with an historical understanding, that destiny almost predicted that we would be in this moment”.

He added: “I have served my people and I am committed to my people. So, if you believe this is about a process, I have got a bridge to sell you. If you believe and know like we know what it’s really about ... if you allow a government to eliminate our leaders, then guess what? I don’t need to be here.”

Mr Hayward also played a large role in rallying the troops, declaring that the room should “show Bermuda that we stand boldly and firmly behind Reverend Tweed”.

He said of Mr Tweed: “Some members of this country, while we love him, they hate him. While we trust him, they despise him. And while we follow him, they fear him. And that’s the reason why they want him gone.”

He also claimed that the defamation case brought against him by finance minister Bob Richards was designed to break him, saying he faced costs of $500,000.

“The aim was to shut me up, and it didn’t happen,” Mr Hayward said.

“There is no People’s Campaign without Reverend Tweed. Let’s not get caught up in a narrative that somehow the Church failed to do their administrative due diligence.

“Reverend Tweed has been an integral part of the People’s Campaign. Reverend Tweed has been our chief strategist. There is no People’s Campaign without Chris Furbert. There is no People’s Campaign without Jason Hayward. But most importantly, there is no People’s Campaign without you.”

Mr Furbert, who had opened the meeting by telling the crowd “today, this is about truth and honesty”, accused Ms Gordon-Pamplin of perpetrating a fraud. “They say the minister made a decision,” he said. “The OBA Government made the decision. Let’s call a spade a spade.”

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