A complaint of inciting extreme violence against white South Africans through 45 social media postings was submitted to the Human Rights Commission (HRC) on Friday by the FW de Klerk Foundation.
Among the 45 offending postings were Penny Sparrow’s “hurtful‚ racist remarks”‚ which the foundation condemned.
The foundation said the comments of Sparrow and the “less controversial” ones of Chris Hart and Gareth Cliff were regarded by most media commentators as evidence of rampant and pervasive white racism.
“However‚ an analysis of Facebook and Twitter messages shows that by far the most virulent and
Dangerous racism — expressed in the most extreme and violent language — has come from disaffected black South Africans. The messages are replete with threats to kill all whites — including children — to rape white women or to expel all whites from South Africa‚” the foundation said in Friday’s statement.
In its submission to the HRC the foundation stated that Constitution guarantees Section 16(1) everyone has the right to freedom of expression and section 16(2) adds that this right does not extend to propaganda for war; to Incitement to
imminent violence; or to advocacy of hatred that is based on race‚ ethnicity‚ gender or religion and
that constitutes incitement to cause harm.
Section 10 of the Promotion of Equality and Prohibition of Unfair Discrimination Act (PEPUDA)‚
which deals with hate speech‚ states that “no person may publish‚ propagate‚ advocate or
communicate words based on one or more of the prohibited grounds‚ against any person‚ that
could be construed to be hurtful; to be harmful or to incite harm; or to promote or propagate
hatred”.
The foundation has asked the HRC to investigate the 45 messages to “take steps to secure appropriate redress where human rights have been violated” and to refer communications that directly incite the killing of people or the perpetration of grievous bodily harm‚ to the national director of public prosecutions.
De Klerk Foundation asks Human Rights Commission to probe postings inciting violence against whites
Among the 45 offending postings were Penny Sparrow’s “hurtful‚ racist remarks”‚ which the foundation condemned.
The foundation said the comments of Sparrow and the “less controversial” ones of Chris Hart and Gareth Cliff were regarded by most media commentators as evidence of rampant and pervasive white racism.
“However‚ an analysis of Facebook and Twitter messages shows that by far the most virulent and
Dangerous racism — expressed in the most extreme and violent language — has come from disaffected black South Africans. The messages are replete with threats to kill all whites — including children — to rape white women or to expel all whites from South Africa‚” the foundation said in Friday’s statement.
In its submission to the HRC the foundation stated that Constitution guarantees Section 16(1) everyone has the right to freedom of expression and section 16(2) adds that this right does not extend to propaganda for war; to Incitement to
imminent violence; or to advocacy of hatred that is based on race‚ ethnicity‚ gender or religion and
that constitutes incitement to cause harm.
Section 10 of the Promotion of Equality and Prohibition of Unfair Discrimination Act (PEPUDA)‚
which deals with hate speech‚ states that “no person may publish‚ propagate‚ advocate or
communicate words based on one or more of the prohibited grounds‚ against any person‚ that
could be construed to be hurtful; to be harmful or to incite harm; or to promote or propagate
hatred”.
The foundation has asked the HRC to investigate the 45 messages to “take steps to secure appropriate redress where human rights have been violated” and to refer communications that directly incite the killing of people or the perpetration of grievous bodily harm‚ to the national director of public prosecutions.
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