‘Stop harassment, Guptas’
LEGAL ROUTE: PEACEFUL PROTESTERS CLAIM THEY WERE ATTACKED
JAI and BLF members nearly come to blows during Saxonwold demonstration.
The Johannesburg Against Injustice (JAI) movement said yesterday it was considering legal options against Andile Mngxitama’s Black First Land First (BLF) and the Gupta family in a bid to stop them from harassing its members.
“We are considering our legal options, including obtaining a court order restraining the BLF and the Gupta family from intimidating and harassing our organisation and its members,” JAI said in a statement.
JAI and BLF members nearly came to blows during an anti-Gupta demonstration outside the Saxonwold Military Museum, where the controversial family was hosting a religious event, Shrimad Bhagwat Katha, on Sunday.
JAI, a group of political, civic and youth activists, accused BLF of attacking its peaceful protest against the event. Police were called to intervene.
JAI was objecting to the Guptas’ hosting of the Katha. They claimed the event was at odds with the Gupta family because it “teaches people not to be greedy”.
On Saturday, the Gurujati Network instructed its members to stay away from the event.
In a statement, JAI said that at least 40 of its members were staging a peaceful placard demonstration to highlight their opposition to the activities of the Gupta family when they were attacked by BLF members.
“Members of the BLF arrived in two taxis and physically and verbally attacked our members, including a veteran of the Congress movement, Prema Naidoo, and members of various religious organisations,” JAI said.
“These knobkerrie, stick and sjambok-wielding BLF members made it clear to us that they were attacking our members under the instructions of the Gupta family.
“Some members of the Gupta organisation who were in the vicinity joined the fray and threatened women protesters.”
JAI said it respected the rights of the Gupta family to engage in worship and appealed to them to respect its right to protest peacefully.
Responding to the allegations, BLF national coordinating committee blamed Sipho Pityana’s Save SA movement, saying it was circulating a statement devoid of any truth on social media under the name of JAI.
“It has come to the attention of BLF that the civil society arm of white monopoly capital, Save South Africa, is spreading lies about our movement,” BLF said.
“Some of the Save SA demonstrators made it clear that they didn’t agree with the demonstration and were, in fact, paid to protest against a religious event they didn’t even understand.
“BLF was asked by the community of Laudium to protect it against what they called ‘the hired thugs of Johann Rupert’.”
BLF said it would continue to defend and protect anyone who came under attack from white people, including “protecting the Gupta family among other targets of white monopoly capital and its defenders.
“When real issues which affect our people are being addressed, outfits such as Save SA and its bogus extensions like the Gujarati Network South Africa and Johannesburg Against Injustice are nowhere to be seen.” – ANA