The death of 11-year-old Adrianna Younge has left Guyana in grief, precipitating a deluge of sympathy and a collective shout for justice.
Yet today the nation stands at a crossroads, as the peaceful call for justice was hijacked by others who would seek to employ tragedy for anarchy and selfish ends.

Persons, on Monday evening, were seen looting and burning, and there was wanton vandalism-acts of which do Adrianna’s memory a disservice and serve to undermine the cause they seek to promote.
President Irfaan Ali and national leaders have been unequivocal: peaceful protest is a fundamental right, but it coexists with the responsibility to maintain the law and others’ rights.

Blocking the highways, burning public buildings, and vandalising private property does nothing to advance the cause of seeing justice for Adrianna. What these actions do is disrupt the lives of citizens, impede the investigation process, and potentially polarise a nation already in mourning.
It is particularly sad that the unrest, which was originally a spontaneous expression of community grief, has been hijacked for political and selfish ends.
President Ali has condemned the “selfish profiteering” and political hijacking of the protests, and warned that such behaviour will not be accepted and that the perpetrators will be held to account.

The commitment of the government to transparency and investigation is clear: every available resource is being utilised to uncover the truth in Adrianna’s death, with multiple independent pathologists performing the autopsy, which has revealed drowning as the cause of death.
The demand for justice is one that is shared by all Guyanese, but justice cannot be achieved through violence or lawlessness.

As Guyana mourns, so too will it need to unite. The pain of loss is deep, but that path forward will need to be set in the power, as one, of respect for law.
Let us honor Adrianna Younge not by the breakdown of our communities but by unity in the name of truth-peacefully, firmly, and with dignity. Justice will then be served.