Monday’s meeting of Carlow Council will debate a motion from People Before Profit Cllr Adrienne Wallace calling for a public enquiry into the fatal shooting of George Nkencho on December 30th 2020, ahead of Mr Nkencho’s funeral on March 13th. He was allegedly brandishing a knife and threatened gardaí before he was shot by members of Blanchardstown Garda Armed Support Unit. Mr Nkencho was suffering from mental health issues at the time.
Speaking ahead of the motion Cllr Wallace said “There is a grieving family and community at the centre of this so I think it is important we keep that in mind and be respectful of it. George was a young man that was fatally shot by An Garda Síochána outside his home. His family are calling for a public inquiry into the events and it is the least the state can do to honour their wishes. The current investigation is being carried out by the Garda Ombudsman and is coming under intense scrutiny.”
Cllr Wallace added “In the six weeks since the shocking death of George, GSOC is failing to meet any of the standards, be they human rights or legal standards, that are required of an investigation into a Garda killing. Key witnesses, including the arms response unit officer believed to have fired the shots, have not been interviewed after six weeks. That’s the information that the family has. Vital pieces of evidence, including all the bullet casings from the day, have not been accounted for or secured by GSOC. The family themselves were not interviewed for 28 days, having been vital witnesses. My motion calls on the Taoiseach to initiate a public inquiry that seeks to address how well-equipped Garda are in dealing with people who suffer from ill mental health and whether they should start to adopt de-escalation tactics as part of their operations. The inquiry needs to be thoroughly and transparently investigated, and, given the history of institutionalised bias in the police force – the question of race needs to be a key part of such an investigation.”
Memet Uludag, the National Organiser of United Against Racism and resident in Blanchardstown added “The first thing we all need to say, especially if we are ordinary people who live in the Blanchardstown area, is that George Nkencho was one of our own. That’s why all of us should be standing with George’s grieving family and friends and supporting the calls for justice for George in the form of an independent public inquiry. George’s death raised questions about institutional racism, class, equity, inclusion and mental health services.”
He added “Racism is a poison that divides our communities. Racism must not be allowed to become normalised or acceptable. We also reject the scapegoating of migrants, minorities and refugees for economic and social issues in our society today. Politicians and public representatives that use racism for electoral gains are also responsible for the spread of racism. Institutional racism must be recognised and stamped out. We the ordinary people have more in common that unites us than divides. Our diversity is our wealth.”