A pro New Patriotic Party group, known as the Patriotic Gents (PG), has condemned the publications by Sammy Gyamfi, NDC’s National Communications Officer, which sought to make laughingstock of the unfortunate death of the late George Perry Floyd, a black American who was dreadfully murdered by a white American police officer in the United States of America on May 25.
The group described the publication as “insensitive, maligning, malicious, cruel, mean, despiteful, nasty, vicious and barbaric”, saying it was an action indirectly meant to mimic exactly what George Floyd went through before dying.
The group further admonished all Ghanaians and everybody across the world, who is infuriated by the cruel killing of George Floyd, to condemn without hesitation, “the insensitive, irresponsible, cruel, and daredevil politicisation by the NDC folks, led by Sammy Gyamfi.”
It further called on the rank and file of the NDC to reprimand their National Communications Officer to refrain from such “compassionless and infantile attitude”, moving forward.
This was contained in a press release signed by Berma Kwabena Pobi, Communications Director of the group.
The publication under contention, posted on social media by the NDC national officer, was an art of cartoon depicting a black man in handcuffs lying flat on the ground with his face pointing down. The man in the picture had the knees of a man portrayed as President Nana Akufo-Addo and the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Jean Mensa, placed on his neck, suppressing him down, with a boldly written inscription “I can’t breathe”.
Freedom of speech
According to the group, it is time to have a common voice to speak as a people “and not make mockery of ourselves.”
“While people across the length and breadth of the world are rallying the black race in unison, to bring them together as a people, including other races, to condemn the consistent and persistent inhuman attacks on the black race around the world, others like the NDCs are playing ‘Ampe’ with it as usual.
“It is not the fault of anyone to be born black and therefore should not be meted with that kind of horror treatment. Sammy Gyamfi and his NDC should be guided not to make fun of such serious matters henceforth,” the statement said.
The group further stated that, as much as there is freedom of speech, Sammy Gyamfi and his NDC should know their boundaries and understand “the times in which we are”.
“The Patriotic Gents is reminding him and his cohorts that this is not politics as usual. This is a precious black life that has been lost, that the world is mourning and seeking for equal rights and justice for all races.
“One may ask, what at all could be the spark for a National Officer to bring to public ridicule, an incident of a life lost that has attracted sympathy and uproar for justice, millions of members of civil society, nations and governments and the entire world?,” the group questioned.
