At a peaceful public rally in central Dublin last Saturday to remember the murdered schoolboy Toyosi Shitta-bey, residents of Tyrrelstown in northwest Dublin – where he lived and was knifed to death – again condemned the killing, and extended their sincere sympathy to the Shitta-bey family.
In a statement issued at the rally, residents maintained that his violent death was a shocking event not typical of the area, adding that they are extremely “disappointed and upset” about the negative portrayal of Tyrrelstown in the media. They also downplayed allegations that racism played a role in the attack – in sharp contrast to claims by Shitta-bey’s family and an eyewitness account of the incident, which clearly identified racism as a factor in the incident.
In the light of this, we believe the time is now right for gardaí to make a public statement on this issue, granted that such would not jeopardise the case against the suspected attackers.
In the meantime, Tyrrelstown residents should be aware that ignoring any racist element in order to promote strength in the community would only do more harm than good.
As TCD Ethnic and Racial Studies co-ordinator Ronit Lentin, who participated at the rally, said: “The killer came from outside this community and therefore the strength of the community is not the point. We should not cover up the existence of racism.”
Nevertheless, the rally organisers should be praised for conducting a very peaceful and successful show of solidarity, despite fears that it would result in social unrest.
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