Black Co Down clergyman: Having a grievance is no excuse for endangering people with mass protests

Rev George Okikiolu, a Church of Nigeria Anglican cleric now working as the assistant minister of Donaghcloney Church of Ireland, Co Down, said that “two wrongs do not make a right” – and therefore the death of Mr Floyd should not be an excuse to break the coronavirus lockdown laws.

He was speaking after police estimated about 2,000 turned up to a demonstration last Wednesday at City Hall, followed by at least several hundred protestors repeating the protest on Saturday - in the face of pleas not to do it from scientists and politicians.

Under the lockdown laws, regulation six says gatherings of more than six people are prohibited (unless they are all of the same household), and police can arrest those who do not disperse.

The PSNI is now aiming to prosecute the leaders of the Saturday protests against Mr Floyd’s death in Londonderry and Belfast.

Rev Okikiolu told the News Letter: “I know it’s very sad, but the reaction also needs to be weighed and considered.

“The fact that people are coming together to protest, which breaks the rules and the law on keeping other people safe, is not good enough.

“That’s not the way forward. You can’t say because you want to express a grievance, you should put other people at risk.

“Turn to God and prayer rather than breaking civil rules and causing disturbances in the community, ‘cause two wrongs doesn’t make a right.

“The government in America did the right thing, they decided to prosecute people who are concerned.

“So I think people should just be calm, and allow the rule of law.”

He called for people to “hope in God” instead of taking such actions.

Mr Floyd was sitting in the driver’s seat of a vehicle in Minneapolis on May 25 when he was confronted by police over allegedly trying to use counterfeit cash.

A caller to police had described Mr Floyd as “awfully drunk and not in control of himself”, and he had fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system.

However two separate autopsies showed that the cause of death was the actions of police officer Derek Chauvin, who knelt on his neck while Mr Floyd repeatedly begged for air.

Rev Okikiolu said: “Though it is sad to see the devil sowing the bad seed of divisions among God’s beautiful creation, our reaction should be to confront evil with good,” he said.

“We don’t do many things the same because we differ in culture, skin colour, etc.

“Yet, we are the same by creation (as human beings with the same blood and soul), being created by one God who has one Spirit and belonging to one body which is His bride – the church.”

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