Marchers come out in force to express anger over Trump
MORE than 2 000 anti-US President Donald Trump protesters marched from District Six to Parliament yesterday to register their anger and condemnation of his announcement that the US would move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Among the leaders addressing the marchers in front of Parliament were Moulana Abdul Ghalied Allie, the Rev Thulani Ndlazi, Sheikh Ebrahim Gabriels, the Palestine Solidarity Forum’s Jeremy Phillips, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s Terry Crawford-Brown, Cosatu representative Paul Bester and ANC provincial secretary Faiez Jacobs.
Jacobs declared the ANC’s support for the Palestinian people.
He said Palestinians continued to suffer under Israel’s increasing hostility, and promised to raise the Palestinian cause at the ANC’s national conference.
“We will expect nothing less from our national conference than a resolution on the immediate downgrade of relations with Israel,” said Jacobs.
“The impunity with which Trump and Israel behaved, ignoring international law and precedent in this latest move, will likely lead to much bloodshed and conflict, make our solidarity more urgent than ever,” he added.
Crawford-Brown said Zionism was a form of apartheid.
Cosatu’s Bestersaid the federation would demand that the South African government close its Israeli embassy and for the embassy staff not to move to Tel Aviv, but return to South Africa.
Braam Hanekom, speaking on behalf of Boycott Divestment Sanctions, said he was glad to hear Jacobs speaking in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
He said the downgrading of the South African embassy in Tel Aviv was a minimum demand.
The deputy president of the Muslim Judicial Council Sheikh Riyad Fataar urged all international leaders to stop being silent on the rights of Palestinian people.
“The Palestinian issue must be the highlight of the ANC conference,” Fataar said.
“We also noticed Mandla Mandela (ANC MP) following in the footsteps of his grandfather.”
In a statement earlier in support of the march, Mandela said: “Today is a great day because we are all marching for justice. We are speaking with one voice for justice. We are telling the world that there can be no peace without justice. We shall protest. We shall demonstrate.
“We shall picket. We shall boycott. We shall divest. We shall call for sanctions.
“We shall continue the struggle until Palestine is free.”
United Congregational Church of Southern Africa leader the Rev Thulani Ndlazi told marchers that his congregation was joining peacemakers around the world and South African Jews for a Free Palestine in condemning Trump’s controversial announcement.