“I’M OKAY.” These were the words of slain 15-year-old Nigerian-born Toyosi Shitta-bey as he bled to death on Good Friday, after being stabbed on the street.
A friend who witnessed his pal dying revealed the episode after taking the microphone at an emotional but peaceful rally in his memory last Saturday in Dublin city centre. “Toyosi, rest in peace,” he said, breaking down in tears.
Paul Barry (38) from Pearse Street, Dublin is charged with the manslaughter of Toyosi. His brother Michael Barry (23) from Ringsend is charged with possession of a hockey stick.
Fears that the rally would turn ugly proved unfounded, with different nationalities – primary Irish and Nigerian – mingling in solidarity against a killing that has shocked the city, and country.
Politicians did dominate the latter part of proceedings, but family, friends and local community leaders were overall more prominent.
With a court case to come – and concern that an emphasis on the potentially racist aspect of the killing could whip up tensions or prejudice proceedings – most speakers at the rally kept the emphasis on solidarity, and specific references to ‘racism’ were more sparing than one may have anticipated.
Abi Shitta-bey said Toyosi was “a very special person” and that the family hopes his death “will be the last of its kind”.
With devastated mother Bola looking on, she said her cousin had “so much passion for football” that he carried a ball in his bag instead of schoolbooks, and his “dream was to play for Ireland”.
It seemed the 15-year-old’s dream was not wishful thinking. Rally participant and Clondalkin resident Chinedu Vine, a bus driver, told Metro Éireann that Toyosi was not merely a decent player but one with the hallmarks of a future Irish international.
Vine had seen him play for Shelbourne FC’s youth side “many times” as his son, also called Chinedu, is with Home Farm.
“I knew him as a very good kid, a very talented footballer... he was a very good prospect,” said Vine, whose son has just signed with Premier League side Portsmouth.
Vine added that he had encountered a significant amount of racism within Dublin schoolboy soccer circles.
Meanwhile, a community activist from Tyrrelstown suggested to the crowd that racism is not a major issue in the ethnically diverse Dublin suburb.
Ignatious Okafor, originally from Nigeria, said Tyrrelstown is a multicultural community, with a community spirit that is “very high”. He said it is “not a racist community” and the tragedy was a “one off”.
Nevertheless, he implored the Government to “go back to the drawing board, to have a policy to eradicate these kinds of issues.”
Some young participants, however, suggested racism in Dublin’s suburbs is at a disturbing level.
Hartstown Community School student Orla Mahony from Blanchardstown was a school friend of Toyosi’s and said racism has been strongly evident among some students and locals.
“It’s ridiculous,” she said, with her friend Paula McArdle from Ballymun nodding in agreement. “This is 2010, not 1910 or 1810, we are all one race.”
The girls have friends from various ethnic backgrounds, and believe racist attitudes are transmitted from parents to kids.
A black teenage boy in their group said he was at the rally because Toyosi was “one of us”, and that “hopefully” – he said walking off – “it will never happen again”.
Glenda Cimino, originally from Atlanta, Georgia and living in Ireland for 35 years, said she grew up in a racist society and that’s why she was turning out at the rally.
“I’m sorry for the family and friends of Toyosi, it is important for people to take a stand against racism.”
Tension did briefly ripple through the crowd when Rosanna Flynn of Residents against Racism referred to the manslaughter charge in connection with Toyosi’s death. It appears one panellist attempted to remove the mic from her, causing shouts of displeasure from the crowd.
Flynn continued, saying that feedback from the African communities is coming in “a mixture of grief and anger”, and that “the most awful thing that can happen to anyone” had befallen 15-year-old Toyosi, who had died “in a horrific way”.
The rally moved from the Garden of Remembrance to the Dáil, with mostly African teenage protesters at the top of the march shouting “no to racism” and demanding “justice” for their slain friend.
Cllr Kieran Dennison of Fine Gael – representing Leo Vardakar TD, who previously suggested that unemployed immigrants be paid to leave the country – said immigrants regularly “endure resentment”, especially nationalities that are perceived as burdens on the State.
He said education would only resolve this, and that the “Ministry of Integration has been a singular failure”. He also called on the Nigerian government to work with their Irish counterparts to improve attitudes towards their population in Ireland.
Junior Minister Ciaran Cuffe TD of the Green Party – representing party colleague and junior minister with responsibility for Integration and Equality Mary White, who had attended Toyosi’s funeral – made no concrete promises on anti-racism measures, but somewhat bizarrely claimed: “If the law needs to be changed, she’ll [Minister White] not be found wanting.”
Joe Higgins MEP of the Socialist Party said: “Some voices in the media and elsewhere are saying this [protest] might be about division. Is there anyone here that wants division?”
“No!” yelled the crowd in unison.
Higgins added that “we must not pretend there’s not a problem with racism”, which largely constitutes “so called low grade racism”, particularly in the form of verbal abuse.
Completing the rally, Dare Adetuberu, a pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, commented: “This is a very sensitive case, and the police are very much in support of the family.”
A fund to assist Toyosi Shitta-bey's family has been set up at the permanent tsb branch in Tyrrelstown. The account number is 17006378 and the sort code is 99-06-72.
