By Tamica Garnett
PROTESTERS defied police, and tensions boiled over for some, as a small, but heated protest, ‘picked up steam’ on Tuesday morning, outside the South Ruimveldt home of social media commentator, Guyanese Critic, real name Michael Rodrigues, who has come under severe ‘backlash’ for racist comments he made in a social media video on Monday.
Initially planned to go down outside the former Royal Castle building at the South Ruimveldt entrance at 09:00 hours, protesters were met with a pre-empted police presence at that location and decided to instead literally carry the fight to Critic’s doorstep.
Among those in attendance, in the gathering of mostly women, were former Minister of Youth Affairs within the Ministry of the Presidency, Simona Broomes, local Gospel Singer, Kester D; social media personalities Melissa Atwell and Mondale Smith, and former Miss Guyana Universe, Melissa Payne.
Outside of critic’s home the protesters held placards reading things such as. “I am black and I can read”, “Be the change you want to see, fight racism” and “Indian or black racists must go”, while they chanted calls for persons to “unfollow” and “mute” Critic, and the nation’s motto of “One People, One Nation, One Destiny”.
In his Facebook post on Monday, Critic descended into stating that the people of African descent were afraid of reading and of gaining knowledge.
“If you want to cast demon out of people [of African descent] give them a book to read, show them the book. When people [of African descent] see papers… they don’t want to be possessed by knowledge; it is confusing,” Critic said in the video.
Rodrigues is of African and Portuguese ethnicity.
Guyanese on social media were quick to denounce the actions of Critic and reported the video and his page. An online petition to have his page de-activated was also created and garnered over 11,000 signatures.
The report was also made to the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) which had a meeting with Rodrigues at 12:00hrs on Tuesday at their Anira Street office.
As the Tuesday morning protest outside of Rodrigues home picked up, the police subsequently turned up at the location and ordered the protesters to disperse or face possible arrest for contravening COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.
“I am saying this cannot be done. No permission was granted for this so if you want to continue you have to abide by the public health ordinance. If they continue they will be arrested,” informed one officer Mandranauth.
Atwell questioned the police’s reasoning behind not arresting Rodrigues for his racist comments, and defiantly sat in front of Rodrigues’ driveway, while an impassioned Broomes railed that enough was enough and Afro Guyanese could no longer take the racism.
“It is disrespectful to the highest. This is not a popularity contest. Black people matter, this is eye pass. It is something they are always doing wanting to disrespect us and then apologise,” Broomes argued.
The protesters were unanimous in their refusal to move, and said that all would remain six feet away from each other as the perturbed officer in charge called in for back up. Nonetheless, for the most part the situation remained without physical confrontation.
Things heated up again when Critic decided to come out and ‘face the music’.
Though saying that he was remorseful for what was said in the video, he would not share whether he saw the remarks as racist or not. His defence was that persons misinterpreted the meaning.
“This whole situation was taken out of context. It seemed racist because a snippet was taken out of context. I have done something and you people are standing outside of my house. It was not intended to be racist. Racism has changed,” were some of what Rodrigues had to say about the matter.
