The calls to condemn these actions come from the trade union Solidarity’s chairperson Flip Buys. He was responding to the arrest of the men after a video of the incident came to light. Buys said that people like these who assault others deserve to be subject to the full force of the law.
The video, posted on Twitter by a user @Tumisole is making rounds on twitter. It was posted on Friday and has been retweeted more than 3,000 times.
According to Buys this behaviour complicates the fight to stop racism. “Afrikaners cannot rage against Malema’s racist threats on the one hand, but at the same time tolerate this kind of behaviour. Racism must be fought in all its forms. These types of actions by apparent extremist individuals, gives the ANC a reason to find all white people guilty of racism with the help of new legislation, and to condemn and judge them as racist criminals,” said Buys.
“If people commit themselves to such bad behaviour and actions, the good work that the rest tries to achieve becomes undone. Everyone realises by this time that certain racist behaviour will be proclaimed from the rooftops. Rather refrain from such behaviour and work on mutual respect and recognition,” said Buys.
Meanwhile the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation has expressed deep disgust at the reported racial attack on a black couple by six white men at a KFC drive-through in Pretoria. The couple allegedly asked the men to move forward in the drive-through when they were attacked. Ahmed Kathrada Foundation director Neeshan Balton says there can be no justification for their vile racism and aggression. Balton says this group had also no qualms about beating up a woman.
