– laments violence against East Indians, calls for peace, swift justice for his son

GLADSTON HENRY, the father of Isaiah Henry, moments after witnessing the post mortem of his son, apologised to the residents who were hurt as a result of the rogue protesters who have unleashed violence on innocent citizens.

Henry was at the time speaking with the media about the post mortem and used the opportunity to declare that he was not responsible for the state of affairs in the country presently, since, as a Christian, he is supportive of all races and partakes in activities of other religions as a Guyanese. His son, he said, was no different.

“I want to say I am not a racial person; I born in Number Three, the community I live in. I live among Indian people. We eat together, we sleep together, we live together. The majority of my friends that I move with are Indian friends, we live like brothers… and this same son that died, the majority of his friends are Indians. This same area where he get killed, he dwell among people in that community and he get Indian friends and they call him a nickname ‘Blackboy’ too,” Gladston related.

The father made it clear that he is simply seeking justice for his son and condemned the actions of the violent protesters. Elements in the protest have focused their attacks on East Indians.

“What I’m saying, I won’t hold any other person responsible and again, I am not racist. I love my Indian brothers and sisters, I am not supporting un-moral protesting because I went out in Number Five (Village) and tell them straight ‘if you want to protest, is our right, let we do it peacefully’, you understand. And doing it peacefully, the nation cannot be fighting against one another because this is going on too long, let we don’t see this thing as Black or White or Chiney or Portuguese … because if a Blackman or a Chiney man or any other man did do this, even if is not me child, I swear in me heart, he would have had to pay the penalty, not any other man that look like him or have the same texture hair as him, but the person that committed the act, you understand.”

The senior Henry called for unity and an end to the race-baiting.

“We should not condone people because of the race doing these things, let this thing don’t look political or racial or anything… I have friends in Bath Settlement that work with me and I am sorry for anything that people hold against me. I am mango man, you know me… I was in there election time and a few people tried to harass me but a few big ones scold them that I was selling mango in the community since I was a little kid and I grow up in the community.  I go to the Muslim mosque, I go to the Hindu temple, I play Phagwah… I just want to seek justice for my son which any mother or father anybody would like to see for them family or son or daughter,” he said.

Meanwhile, an elder sibling of Joel Henry, Colwyn Henry is calling for swift justice for his brother and cousin.