DOZENS of white East London residents took part in an international Red October protest yesterday to highlight “the oppression and violence against white South Africans”.
The protest was held in Gonubie at the Heavenly Pancake House where a group of about 50 people congregated holding banners.
Some read: “Zuma, you have white blood on your hands”, “doodstraf vir moedennaars” (death penalty for murderers) and “stop volksmoord op blankes!” (stop genocide of whites).
They later released red balloons to symbolise white people who had been victims of violent crime.
Magdel Engelbrecht of the Heavenly Pancake House said the event was about speaking out against the murders of white farmers.
Engelbrecht said she was not an organiser, however had advertised that the event would be held in Gonubie.
“The organisers were looking for hosts in each city and we offered for East London. This is a good initiative because it highlights the way most of us feel,” she said.
Henri Smit said a commitment was needed from government to make the killings of farmers a priority. “This is not about black and white, my concern as an individual is the farmers that are being killed daily. It just so happens that most of the farmers killed are white. Our current government is not doing enough about farm murders,” he said. Others in attendance raised concerns that Black Economic Empowerment and Affirmative Action were reverse racism and that white South Africans were on the backfoot.
Meanwhile, in Pretoria Afrikaans celebrity singers Steve Hofmeyr and Sunette Bridges led a march on the Union Buildings, while in Cape Town protesters marched to the Naspers building in the CBD and then to Parliament. — siyab@dispatch.co.za
Red October protest focuses on crime
The protest was held in Gonubie at the Heavenly Pancake House where a group of about 50 people congregated holding banners.
Some read: “Zuma, you have white blood on your hands”, “doodstraf vir moedennaars” (death penalty for murderers) and “stop volksmoord op blankes!” (stop genocide of whites).
They later released red balloons to symbolise white people who had been victims of violent crime.
Magdel Engelbrecht of the Heavenly Pancake House said the event was about speaking out against the murders of white farmers.
Engelbrecht said she was not an organiser, however had advertised that the event would be held in Gonubie.
“The organisers were looking for hosts in each city and we offered for East London. This is a good initiative because it highlights the way most of us feel,” she said.
Henri Smit said a commitment was needed from government to make the killings of farmers a priority. “This is not about black and white, my concern as an individual is the farmers that are being killed daily. It just so happens that most of the farmers killed are white. Our current government is not doing enough about farm murders,” he said. Others in attendance raised concerns that Black Economic Empowerment and Affirmative Action were reverse racism and that white South Africans were on the backfoot.
Meanwhile, in Pretoria Afrikaans celebrity singers Steve Hofmeyr and Sunette Bridges led a march on the Union Buildings, while in Cape Town protesters marched to the Naspers building in the CBD and then to Parliament. — siyab@dispatch.co.za
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