Anti-Israel activists waving the ISIS flag violently broke up a legally permitted pro-Israel rally by a Christian group in Cape Town, South Africa, on Sunday — leading local police to cancel the rally instead of protecting the Christians from the anti-Israel mob.
On Saturday, tens of thousands of anti-Israel demonstrators participated in a march through the city — a familiar occurrence in a city with a large Muslim population. On Sunday, Christian supporters of Israel planned their own rally in Sea Point, a coastal neighborhood with a large Jewish population.
However, as News24.com reported:
GroundUp [the pro-Israel group] saw one of the pro-Palestinian protesters grab an Israeli flag from a pro-Israel supporter. Pro-Israel protesters also attempted to antagonise the pro-Palestinian protesters. Much shouting ensued and there were some clashes. Police used stun grenades to attempt to disperse the group involved in the scuffle.
A section of the pro-Palestinian crowd shouted down leaders’ calls to step back. Protesters also shouted at the police, comparing them to the apartheid-era police force.
Police had to intervene when a small group of pro-Palestine protesters tried to harass a protester for Israel who was in a wheelchair. Pepper spray was also used at one point.
The anti-Israel protesters carried Palestinian flags — and an ISIS flag:
Local Jewish leader Daniel Bloch of the South African Board of Deputies issued a statement:
Today we saw violent protesters along the Cape Town beachfront, designed to threaten and prevent Christian’s [sic[ from exercising their democratic right to protest. Christian people have the same rights as any South African, to freedom of expression – these rights were taken away by the pro-Hamas supporters. The violence in the Middle East has been brought to Cape Town by these Hamas supporters who think it is their right to threaten and harass Jews and Christians in this country.
Does our government, the ANC and [the foreign ministry] condone these infringements on South African rights? Do they condone these violent protests? It is a sad day for South African democracy.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis also condemned the violence:
In a time of great global dispute and conflict, Cape Town has thus far been an example of tolerance. While we have seen violent protests all over the world in recent weeks, protests here have been an example of peacefulness, with very few exceptions. As Mayor, I have been proud of our city. We have shown restraint, maturity and a commitment to the rights of all residents to express themselves.
I specifically wish to commend the conduct of both those who agree and disagree with yesterday’s pro-Palestinian protest for their peaceful conduct.
Unfortunately, we saw violent disruptions today against a planned peaceful prayer gathering in support of Israel. This violence deserves the condemnation of all Capetonians who value free expression in our open democracy.
While residents or groups may disagree vehemently with one another, they may not engage in violent disruption. We call on all residents to desist from doing so.
Every person or group, of every belief and persuasion, has the right to protest peacefully in South Africa.
That right is Constitutionally protected, and for good reason, because in South Africa’s past certain protests were banned or violently suppressed, and opinions censored.
In the same way that tens of thousands of residents gathered yesterday to protest peacefully, so the planned protest today should have been respected and allowed to proceed peacefully and without interference.
It is the job of the South African Police and law enforcement agencies to protect that right, and the responsibility of every citizen to respect it.
Public Order policing is under the authority of the South African Police Service and they are in command when public disorder incidents take place. The SAPS inform us that two firearms were seized and 7 people have been arrested.
We also condemn any hate speech uttered by radical minorities at protests, especially when that hate speech is directed towards little children. We have received video footage of a representative purportedly of the PAC speaking at yesterday’s protest and calling young Jewish children in Cape Town “murderers”. Such hateful language should similarly be condemned by all. Radical elements do not speak for Capetonians, and do not even speak for the protestors they claim to represent.
Cape Town is a city of diversity, inclusion and tolerance. Let us model those values, and not be diverted by those peddling hate.
Cape Town is run by the opposition Democratic Alliance. The South African government, run by the African National Congress (ANC), has effectively sided with Hamas in the ongoing conflict, and recently recalled its ambassador to Israel.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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