Red Thread and a number of social activists yesterday staged a picket in front of Freedom House in solidarity with Lindeners and they have vowed to continue picketing the offices and homes of those in authority until results are seen.
Despite a heavy downpour shortly after the picket started, the protestors numbering about 20 returned holding their placards and urging motorists to blow their horns in support. Many complied as uniformed police ranks watched on. The picketing exercise lasted a little more than an hour.
Red Thread member Joy Marcus told reporters that she and others are picketing in solidarity with the people of Linden. She said that as a Lindener she is “enraged” at what is occurring in the mining town. Marcus noted that her entire family resides in that town and as a result of the continuing protest there she is unable to transport her sick mother out.
“In the first place they had no right to be shooting at those people. The people were doing nothing wrong”, Marcus stressed as she held up her placard.
She noted that the Lindeners are protesting for a just cause and “we (Red Thread) will stand out here until justice is served because we think it was really unjust for you to be gunning down people’s children, people’s husband, people’s father in that way”.
The Red Thread member stressed that the Linden protestors are not “dogs and people have a right to speak out against things that are affecting them”.
She noted that the aim is to target all the people who have power and have a say in what is happening in Linden.
“When the government brought out their workers for budget cuts, nobody shot at them, so why should they be shooting at people when all people are saying is that what they are asking us to do is totally impossible”, she added.
Meanwhile trade unionist Lincoln Lewis who was also on the picket line while speaking to the media called the president’s address “nothing more than a PR stunt”.
He said that from all indications, the president cares very little about the problems affecting Lindeners. Lewis noted that the electricity issue is just a very small part of the real problem. He said that the government has over the years removed all rights of Linden and the region to manage and determine their own affairs.
He said that he is prepared to stand by Lindeners.
Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, he said recently stated that he does not live in Linden “but I want him to understand that I have property in Linden, four of my six children were born in Linden and three still live there, I have a house there, I pay taxes there”.
Freddie Kissoon who also took part in the picket noted that he is a Guyanese so whether he had ties to Linden is irrelevant. “Linden is part of Guyana and those people up there are my fellow citizens”, he said.
He later criticized the president’s address which he said lasted seven minutes, “a clear state of Mr Ramotar’s mind and the nature of his politics”.
The group has also held candle light vigils outside Parliament and State House.
