The Interreligious Council in Suriname (IRIS) urges parents and teachers to explain to their children that what occurred on Friday, February 17, was nothing more than anarchy and a breakdown of norms, and that this can never result in solutions. This, on the other hand, simply serves to undermine any efforts made to better the socioeconomic and financial-economic position in our nation.
The council released a statement in which it condemned the coordinated looting, burning, and destruction that took place on Friday, February 17, in Independence Plaza, during the nonviolent protest march.
The council urgently appeals to the community as a whole for peace and dialogue. He specifically called on the trade union movement, political parties, and other civil society organizations to always uphold the law when exercising their democratic right to protest, as well as to accept personal accountability for ensuring safety and promoting peaceful protest.
The Council requests that social programs for the most vulnerable members of society go more quickly. The IRIS requests that the business community “work together to find measures to limit or empty the damage experienced along with the government.”
The Madjlies Moesliemien Suriname, the Sanatan Dharm Maha Sabha, the Surinamese Islamic Association, the Association Arya Dewaker Suriname, and the R.K. Diocese of Paramaribo make up the Interreligious Council in Suriname.
