The Guyana Rastafari Council and the Rastafari Community have objected to June 22, 2008 articles published in the Kaieteur News and the Guyana Times describing gunmen allegedly seen camped near to Mabura as Rastafarian.
The reports were based on information which had been released to the newspapers by the Joint Services.
In a press release, the Rastafari Council said the reports were seen as apart of a trend particularly after the massacres on January 26 and February 17 to “subliminally place the Rastafarian community in the minds of the Guyanese people as the enemy” and to also enable the Joint Services to target innocent members of the community.
It also cited articles in Kaieteur News where someone claiming to be Rondell `Fineman’ Rawlins had uttered `Jah Rastafari knows’.
The release also noted that the Rastafari community was not invited to the stakeholders’ forum with the President at the Office of the President to discuss security and other issues that are of importance to the community.
The release said as spiritual people the Rastafari community “promote(s) one love and peace, whilst calling for equal rights and justice for all. We condemn all criminal and immoral activities especially the murder of innocent women and children, and pray that the Almighty God reveals and swiftly bring(s) to divine judgement the true perpetrators of these crimes”.
