A Bermudian who was at the centre of a row which lead to a Canadian?s work permit being revoked today said his boss did nothing wrong.

The 28-year-old said he was backing Curtis Macleod because he believed MP George Scott and BIU official Louis Somner were in the wrong.

He also stressed that Mr. Macleod?s bosses, Global Construction, had not coerced him into giving his backing.

Mr. Scott and Mr. Somner said they went to the construction site, in Church Street, to see the 28-year-old and alleged the young man had been intimidated into signing a letter supporting Mr. Macleod?s version of events.

The man, who does not want to be named, said: ?They came onto private property looking for me and then started saying racial comments. My boss told them to get off and he had every right to.

?What worries me is that they are kicking Curtis off for ?disrespect?. What if I as a Bermudian had shouted at them like Curtis did? Would they try and lock me up? If they can treat him this way I am worried about how they will treat Bermudians.?

Mr. Macleod?s permit was revoked last week as a result of an argument he had with Mr. Scott in October.

The argument allegedly involved racial slurs - though both men are black.

Mr. Scott denied making any racial comments and Mr. Macleod refuted Mr. Scott?s allegation that he insulted his children.

Last week in an interview with The Royal Gazette Mr. Scott said the level of disrespect shown to him was appalling. He said he was a member of Government and ?nowhere else in the world would he (Mr. Macleod) be able to get up in the face of an MP?.

In the interview he said: ?I said ?let me give you my business card so you can see who you are talking to? but he crossed his arms and did not want to hear anything.

?After he said what he did about my children I said ?you do not know who I am, but I will see you off this Island?.?

Mr. Macleod denied saying anything about the MP?s children but did admit ?loosing his cool? after racial comments were made. Mr. Scott wrote a letter to the Department of Immigration describing the incident after he left the construction site.

The Department investigated the claims and revoked Mr. Macleod?s permit ?as a result of unsatisfactory character and conduct?.

The 28-year-old witness signed Mr. Macleod?s original reply to the Department of Immigration and said he saw the events unfold the way Mr. Macleod alleged.

Yesterday, he said he was alarmed and upset by statements made at a press conference given at the Bermuda Industrial Union on Monday.

At the press conference the construction division president Mr. Somner said they were concerned because he had been intimidated into retracting complaints about Mr. Macleod and coerced into signing the letter to Immigration saying he witnessed the argument.

But the young man said he was never intimidated into signing anything. He admitted going to the BIU last summer and said he made a complaint - he was unhappy with the level of pay he was receiving at Global Construction.

However after sitting down with Mr. Macleod in the Fall and expressing his views the matter was rectified and he told the BIU there was no need to get involved.

He said: ?For them to use me as a scapegoat and say I was the reason they were on the site and it was my complaints that started this is wrong. The first question is - why did it take them seven months to follow it up? And why did they come there when I told them things are OK and cool now. And once they gave me their card why didn?t they leave the site??

The man said he was saddened to see Mr. Macleod forced off the Island: ?I learned a lot from Curtis. He actually sat me down and taught me things that no one else has bothered to. I can now read things on plans and have new skills.

?I?ve been to jail and I used to be a delinquent but now I am a working man with a family to raise and Curtis and Global Construction have taken care of me.?

He added: ?No one threatened me or told me I had to sign anything. The letter that was sent to Immigration, the one I signed - that is how it happened. It was George Scott and Louis Somner that were in the wrong.

?I would have sworn at them too if they came on my site and started making racist comments.?