As we are about to postpone observances of “Indian Arrival Day, 2025” being called “Arrival Day” by the Guyana Government refusing to add “Indian” to the name of the official holiday, Indo-Guyanese must pay attention to a resurgence of an organized social media anti-Hindu, anti-Indian campaign, under the guise of “Justice for Adrianna,” an 11-year-old child who died by drowning, according to an autopsy carried out by three world-class forensic pathologists. The death of Adrianna sparked the “Scrapehead’ riots across Guyana even in some predominantly Indian communities but largely in Black villagesand the city/town areas. People are still scared and events such as May Day rallies, Indian Arrival Day observances, and other events have been cancelled.
As soon as news broke out that the Afro/Mixed child was missing, without any evidence whatsoever, social media provocateurs started to accuse the Indo-Guyanese owners of the hotel of murder and human sacrifice saying that Hindus sacrifice humans in rituals to get rich. Later, in great ignorance and in spinning this malicious narrative, they said the owners had murtis in the hotel, insinuating that has to do with ritual sacrifice. Without waiting for any investigations and evidences, mobs assembled at the hotel, began their vandalism pelting up and destroying the multi-million-dollar hotel. Looters were seen carrying away hotel property in full view of the Police who did nothing to stop them. Looters walked right by the Police carrying away beds, a toilet set, a commercial generator, cases of alcohol and beverages, a big music system, chairs, and anything they can get their hands on. Even when the hotel was on fire, looters were running in and out with the stolen goods. Shortly after, arsonists went and set fire to the owner’s home which also burnt the neighbor’s house. Several vehicles were burnt in the hotel fire. In the eyes of the mob, egged on by a vicious social media campaign, the hotel owner was guilty although there was no evidence. There must be justice for Adrianna but no justice or “due process” for the hotel owner and all the other victims of the “Scrapehead” riots. Luckily, the usually useless Ethnic Relations Commission just recently put out a statement condemning those who are spinning the narrative that Hinduism and Kali Mai supports human sacrifice, while also condemning the desecration of the altar of the Hindu Mandir at Tuschen, Phase Two.
The whole nation, regardless of race, religion or location, is aghast at the death of this school child, but there seems to be a well-oiled social media machinery associated with the Opposition and Government haters, peddling lots of fake news, spewing deliberate distortions and outright lies, twisting of facts, making unsubstantiated assertions and opinions presented as facts, referring to the death of the child as “murder” while the evidence so far has not indicated that – all with racial, religious, and partisan undercurrents. The anti-Police statements are implicating the Government as culpable, although the Government has nothing to do with how the hotel mishandled the family’s complaints of the child being missing.
This latest round of riots that closed down the country almost all of last week with students staying away from school, workers scared to go to work, businesses closing, aircrafts diverting passengers to Trinidad, flights out of Guyana postponed, and a generalized fear and tension pervading. The weary are saying “Guyana nah gat good.” The initial inaction of the Police in the “Scrapehead Riots” bring back bad memories of the “West Coast Berbice Riots,” the “Mon Repos Riots” where the Police did not disperse the marauding bands allowing them to terrorize mostly Indo-Guyanese at the market. Those trials are still pending. No justice for those victims yet. The question of the “Indian Security Dilemma” is now foremost in our minds. Can the Government ensure Indian security and national security or will the Government watch on as Indo-Guyanese become collateral damage in the midst of the unwillingness or weakness in enforcing the law when road burners, road blockers, looters and terrorists are unleashed on hapless, innocent citizens, including the Chinese.
This Government has been going abroad to encourage citizens to return and live and invest in Guyana. But what happened last week is not a pull factor for Guyanese to return. It scares people away to not visit or not come back. One ray of hope is that it seems as if the government wants to send a message that “scrapehead” politics will not be tolerated and almost 100 hoodlums have been charged and are appearing in courts to face the music. The riots were pure criminality which has nothing to do with justice for Adrianna, with organized social media posts inciting miscreants to commit wrongdoing in violation of our cybercrime and terrorism laws. None of this is acceptable. We must all let the Government know we need strong action to make sure such mob-rule and terrorism does not occur again. Sadly, Opposition elements and those with political ambitionshave come out on the side of the terrorists saying they stand with them and their actions, painting them as if they were choir boys, altar boys, and freedom fighters. “Guyana nah gat good,” as we say in the country.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jerry Jailall
Civil Society Advocate