Scary things have been happening in South Africa over the past days. Anti-immigrant riots have left more than twenty people dead. Some have been hacked to death, some burned alive. It’s funny how to some fascists it’s your ‘race’ that determines whether you’re friend or foe, while to others -usually the ones closer to the political mainstream- it’s your citizenship. National Bolsheviks in Russia claim dark-skinned Russians can still be ‘good Russians’ as long as they’re nationalists and not immigrants. Despite their antisemitic history, the British National Party in the UK now have a couple of Jewish councillors while agitating against Muslim and Eastern European immigrants with old-school fascist fervour, clearly aiming for the Jewish vote. This just shows how arbitrary the fascists’ targeting of minorities is.
As for the scumbags who participated in the riots in South Africa, I suppose people are always happy to find someone even lower in the social hierarchy than themselves who they can shit on. Right-wing politicians and media know this and are very adept at directing the mob’s anger at defenseless minorities rather than at those who are really responsible for their economic problems.
This BBC video doesn’t provide any in-depth analysis as it’s rather short, but it still offers a decent visual interpretation of the events.
Here’s a South African’s gut reaction that takes into consideration his experience of Apartheid.
The South African Anti-Privatisation Forum have scheduled a solidarity march through Johannesburg for Saturday.
Click on this for a statement on South African xenophobia which was written a month before the pogroms. Active Resistance, the Johannesburg anarchist group who published the article, are currently trying to build up an anti-xenophobia campaign. Hopefully, the anarchists will get something done for once.
Click here for a statement by the ZACF (Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Front ) that draws particular attention to nationalism as perpetrated by the corrupt ANC.
Filed under: Politics | 4 Comments
Tags: anti-immigrant riots, anti-immigrant violence, fascists, johannesburg, nationalism, scum, south africa, xenophobia
I personally belive someone in outh Africa, high up in ANC is behind this wave of attack. Just take a look at who gets political milage while Foreigners suffer. The ANC leadership has failed to give leadership when it most needed. Perhaps foreigners should take the law into their own hands. The should drive the ZULUs out of Johanesburge and remind them that its ZEZURU(Now called Shona) land that Shaka pushed them up north to modern day Zimbabwe. That is true. If boaders where correctly drawn, that would leave Pretoria and Johanesburg in Zimbabwe, with MUNHUMUTAPA empire streatching to the Indian Ocean.
Zimbabwean CONCERNED Says:
May 19, 2008 at 3:59 am
I am a Zimbabwean of African descent. I was living in Zimbabwe during the days of South Africa’s quest for self determination. I still remember days when certain places in Harare where no go areas, for fear of bombings from Apartheid South Africa’s terrorist Agents. Innocent Zimbabweans paid the Ultimate Price. Many of them with their lives.
Zimbabwe led the FRONT-LINE states, a coalition of African states determined to see an end to apartheid. After a protracted fight, at the expense of development in Zimbabwe, Africa prevailed. The end of apartheid was the hope, dreams and aspirations o all Africans, of all races, of religions, of all nationalities.
Today the independence of South Africa is unfortunately a partial success. Black South Africans own less than 15% of private wealth in South Africa. The figure is much less for combined black ownership of major South African Corporation. None of the top 15 companies are black owned. This is despite the black South Africans constituting 80% 0f the total population. In terms of inequality and poverty that is rampant, South Africa internal cohesion remains ticking time BOMB.
Black Zimbabweans had nuclear weapons hanging over their heads, during the apartheid days. Zimbabwe was the CLEAR and PRESENT danger to Apartheid. Now black Zimbabweans fleeing economic hardship in their country have become a convenient scapegoat for the problems faced by black South Africans. NONE of the xenophobic anger expressed by South Africans’ is aimed at their WHITE MASTERS. (I don’t mean this in any racist way) South Africans have collectively accepted that there are inferior to White people. Their residual feelings of grander, and perhaps relative superiority is falsely contrasted against other poor black immigrants ironically the very ones that paid the price for South Africa’s independence. You should never bite the hand that feeds you and hope to get away . Not forever.
I have personally lost a dear brother because of this hatred, lack of respect for black life (especially foreigners – Bro. Chigutire shot in the head at point blank range. No day goes by without me thinking of him.). I feel for my fellow Zimbabwean who have to endure this hatred, violence and abuse at the hands of other black people. Tribalism for Zimbabwean in South Africa has become just as bad as Apartheid used to be for us. The MEDIA have found something to fend and feast on. What do their care; they have fired up some of this hatred by their sensational and heartless reporting. The South African leadership couldn’t care less. They have never truly cared for Zimbabweans, and they will not start even with ZUMA. They stand and do nothing, and in a way, the violence against Zimbabweans, works as a tool in their hands, a scapegoat for their failure to truly liberate South Africans financially.
What shall we then say as Zimbabweans? APARTHEID WILL RISE NEVER AGAIN. NEVER!
I understand your resentment, but I doubt that you will resolve anything by putting one nationalism against another or by “drawing borders correctly”. Nationalism of any kind will always lead to hatred and ultimately to tragedy. If the ANC failed to provide employment opportunities for South Africans and let ordinary people benefit from economic growth, then this calls for a vanguard socialist movement that directly addresses the concerns of ALL working class people, regardless whether they are Zimbabweans, Zulus, or whatnot. If you want the borders to be drawn correctly, draw them between the oppressors and the oppressed, not between the nations.
If you are angry at the violence, I would encourage you to participate in the Anti Privatisation Forum’s solidarity-with-the-immigrants march that is planned to take place this Saturday.
Thanks for the link. It is a sad day for us in South Africa. How quickly we forget those who suffered for us. And now we do this to them. It isn’t about borders. It isn’t about race. It isn’t about tribes. We shuld know better. We can think of all the reasons in the world why this is happening. We can try to understand why this is happening. But it doesn’t justify anything. I don’t want to give them any “understanding”. Because we shouldn’t be doing this. Ever. Not with our history. Our brothers and sisters who looked after us in Zimbabwe and elsewhere. And this is what we are doing? Not only standing by and seeing their (our) people being hunted down in their own country. But also doing it to them when they need safety and our care. I am ashamed.
I’m glad to hear these opinions from you. It makes me confident that there are plenty of South Africans like you who will fight against fascism and xenophobia.