– Slams Rickford Burke-run organisation’s ‘vicious racist campaign’ against President Ali, Guyanese-owned businesses in New York

ATTORNEY-GENERAL and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C., has condemned the discriminatory backlash against President Dr. Irfaan Ali’s recent visit to Brooklyn, New York, urging citizens to reject racism in all its forms.
Nandlall’s remarks come in response to calls for a boycott of Guyanese-owned businesses that welcomed President Ali, spearheaded by Rickford Burke of the Caribbean-Guyana Institute for Democracy (C-GID).

While speaking on his Facebook programme ‘Issues in the News’ on Tuesday, Nandlall underscored President Ali’s right to walk among the diverse communities of Brooklyn, highlighting the warm reception he received from the predominantly Afro-Guyanese population.

“He was warmly received and welcomed and embraced by hundreds of persons living in that community. He visited many businesses who welcomed him with open arms.”
“He sat and socialised with hundreds of residents of Brooklyn. Guyanese residents of Brooklyn, 99 per cent of whom are Afro-Guyanese. And, as you would expect, the responders, the haters, the strife makers, the ethnic mischief makers were shocked,” Nandlall said.

The warm embrace extended to President Ali by the predominantly Afro-Guyanese community of Brooklyn stood in stark contrast to the hateful rhetoric propagated by a vocal minority.
As such, Nandlall highlighted the hypocrisy of those who espouse democratic principles while promoting division and racism.

“The haters couldn’t accept that. It hurt them. And they have launched a vicious racist campaign, and it’s a comedy to listen to them as they rant and they fume. But you know what is, unfortunately, the attack on the ordinary people simply because those people chose to exercise their rights and their freedoms to embrace a politician of their choice.

“These racist irritants that are using the airwaves to spew their hatred they do so on the platform of rights and freedoms. They go on their platform that they are championing democratic principles, yet they seek to oppress and divide,” he said.

Railing into the “hate and racist campaign,” being carried out by the CGID, Nandlall denounced Burke’s actions as an attempt to stifle the rights and freedoms of both business owners and citizens alike.
“Now they are calling to boycott the people’s businesses, these racists… They want to enslave their minds and trap them in their own vicious cycle of racism,” Nandlall asserted.

The discriminatory remarks aimed at both President Ali and the citizens of Brooklyn reflect a deep-seated prejudice that has no place in modern society, according to Nandlall.
He urged individuals not to be swayed by the divisive rhetoric of those seeking to perpetuate racial animosity.

“Don’t be ensnared in the vicious racial cycle of these sociopaths… They have no place in modern society, either in Guyana or any part of the world,” he declared.
Nandlall warned that Burke and others aligned with the “hate campaign” thrive on peddling racism and toying with the moral fabric of Guyana.

“Ignore them. They have no place in modern society, either in Guyana or any part of the world, because modern civilisation and modern societies eschew racism, division, and segregation. They are from an era that no longer exists. And that is why the numbers are diminishing. The numbers are diminishing. Don’t give them relevance,” Nandlall said.

Numerous individuals, including those aligned with opposition parties, have voiced similar concerns and condemned Burke’s call for a boycott, signalling the need to stand against discrimination and uphold democratic principles.
Civil and Human Rights Lawyer Selwyn Pieters, has vehemently condemned Rickford Burke’s call for the boycott of Guyanese-owned businesses.

Weighing in on the issue, Pieters, in a post on his official Facebook account, highlighted the importance of freedom of expression and political opinion for all individuals.
“Freedom of expression and political opinion cannot apply to some and not all,” he said, explaining that welcoming a head of state into a commercial establishment could be a patriotic act with no political expressiveness

Pieters firmly asserted that such actions not only undermine the rights of business owners but also threaten the fabric of unity within the community.
“No one’s small business should be boycotted, no one should be subjected to terror, no one should be subjected to abuse because they welcome a head of state into their commercial establishment,” he said.

In response to the calls for boycotts and the attempts to fuel divisions among Guyanese abroad, President Ali, in a statement which was streamed live on his Facebook page on Sunday evening, delivered a strong rebuke to Burke.

“This opportunity gives us a point of honest reflection, it gives you an opportunity to measure these leaders by their actions, to measure these leaders by their narrative, to measure these so-called leaders by what exactly is their selfish desire,” he added, while continuing to dismantle the contentious message that was being peddled by Burke.

Furthermore, President Ali called upon US officials, including Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, to scrutinise organisations such as the CGID that engage in what he described as “divisive and separatist” actions.
He said that attempts to divide the Guyanese community abroad will remain fruitless.

President Ali’s visit to New York was not only marked by engagements with communities and officials, but also by his calls for unity and resilience against divisive rhetoric.
President Ali was in New York to receive the Legacy Award Class of 2024 at the American Foundation for the University of the West Indies’ 27th Annual Awards Gala for his “leadership and vision.”

Despite attempts to sow discord, President Ali said he will remain focused on fostering solidarity within the Guyanese diaspora community and beyond.
Burke has been at the forefront of many of the opposition’s activities in the US; he remains wanted by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) for stoking racial strife.