EDITORIAL: Anti-Semitism has no place in SA
The president should speak up in support of the country’s Jewish citizens
Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis is to be commended for his unequivocal condemnation of the violence and hate speech last weekend over the Israel-Hamas war. A succession of protests gave expression to the rising tension in the city over Israel’s military response to Hamas’s massacre of 1,400 Israelis and the capture of more than 200 hostages on October 7. Hamas estimates more than 11,000 people trapped in Gaza have died since Israel began bombarding the area five weeks ago, and 2.3-million Palestinians are trapped in horrific conditions.
On Saturday, more than 10,000 people marched in central Cape Town in support of Palestine in a nonviolent manifestation of their constitutional right to peaceful protest. However, the march was marred by vicious hate speech directed at children attending the city’s biggest Jewish school, Herzlia, and chants of the chilling slogan “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”. While some activists claim it is a call for peace and equali...
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