BLF thuggery unacceptable

THE dastardly act by the emerging champions of fascism, the Black First Land First (BLF) movement, deserves all round condemnation. This week the group arrived at the home of journalist Peter Bruce apparently to protest the views that he had expressed in his newspaper column.

Supposing it was agreed Bruce’s writings were of such shocking standards that they forced this shadowy grouping to emerge from the stone they spend their time under, their actions would still be unacceptable.

Bruce has the right to express his views as he has and those who disagree with him have the same rights but these do not include paying those they disagree with a threatening visit to their homes. That is terrorism.

The only conclusion we can arrive at is their intention was to send a chilling message to those, who like Bruce, are openly critical of the unacceptable role the Gupta family has been playing in in the country.

We know this because the BLF openly said that they were attacking Bruce because of the “lies he was writing about the Guptas”. The protest outside Bruce’s home is therefore not just an attack on him or on journalism but an attack on the freedoms that countless South Africans gave their lives for.

This is a shameful throwback to apartheid when journalism was often made a crime. It is worse that this time it is perpetrated by or, on behalf of a family, the Guptas, that has no right to dictate terms to South Africans.

The ANC-led government must take this opportunity to carry out one of its long-overdue acts and leash in the Guptas and their running dogs. If it does not, it would have chosen the Guptas ahead of the people of South Africa.