Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton recently issued a call to youths to desist from using protests as opportunities to commit crimes, warning that such actions are undermining legitimate struggles.
“…I want to urge the young ones who seem to believe that every protest is an opportunity for them to rob people, to desist. They are destroying the struggle of their people,” Norton said at an event on July 2 in Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara.
His call came in wake of a recent protest over the killing of Golden Grove youth Quindon Bacchus becoming violent, resulting in the assault and robbery of vendors at the Mon Repos market.
Norton also accused the PPP/C government of using the protests to stoke the flames of ethnic hostility.
“As the government becomes unpopular, as their own people are turning against them, what the government is seeking to do is to promote ethnic hostility so that it will help them to mobilise their support base,” he argued.
As a result, he urged those gathered not to “fall into the trap”. “We must identify our target, struggle to achieve our objective and be clear and say to all in sundry this is not about ethnicity. We have nothing against any other ethnic group. We will fight for justice for all ethnic groups,” Norton said.
“…As this struggle continues, we have got to guard it and protect it against those who would want to use it for their own benefits,” he added.
Bacchus, 23, a father of one, was shot and killed by a policeman on June 10 at Haslington New Scheme, ECD.
The circumstances of the shooting had been questioned from the outset by Bacchus’ family and friends, prompting a series of protests as they called for justice.
Two Tuesdays ago, a protest calling for justice for Bacchus erupted into violence through several villages on the East Coast, which resulted in persons being assaulted and vendors being looted.
Two days after, a total of sixteen men were charged with riotous behaviour following looting and assaults at Mon Repos and other parts of the East Coast during the protest.
One of the men, Andrew Sumner, 59, of Victoria, ECD pleaded guilty and was fined $20,000. The other 15 denied the charge and were placed on $15,000 bail each.
When President Irfaan Ali visited Mon Repos on the day of the looting, he had said that while everyone is guaranteed the right to protest, the constitution does not vest them the power to loot and injure.
“All those who are responsible for doing it must be brought to justice. They must face the full consequence of the law and not only those who did but those who instigated it because when you plan a protest, it is your responsibility to keep that protest within the limits of the law. I have made it very clear that this nonsense has to stop and I have made it clear that all those who participated in the lawlessness, there are images, there are photographs, there are videos, they must be brought to justice… That is totally illegal, it is against the law and they must face the consequences of the law,” Ali said.
The Guyana Police Force has faced severe criticism for its failure to control the protestors.
