More than 3 000 Australians and ex-South Africans attended another protest in Perth against farm murders and white genocide in South Africa on Sunday.
According to Free West Media, the Australian blogger Avi Yemini, who was a speaker at the protest, South African government should stop acting like a pack of of racists and protect white South Africans. Yemini has collected 50 000 signatures for a petition to allow more South African refugees into South Africa. During the march, the crowd sang Afrikaans folk songs such as ‘Sarie Marais’.
Charles Smith, a politician of the One Nation party in Australia, said that reverse Apartheid exists in South Africa and asked that other countries also express themselves against this. A female South African immigrant also expressed herself strongly against the abuse of women and children, saying that this type of abuse has reached alarming levels in the country.
This is not the first march to take place in Australia to support the government’s offer to bring prosecuted South African farmers to the country under a humanitarian programme.
On March 14, Peter Dutton, Australian Minister of Home Affairs, said he would be fast-tracking visas for white South African farmers due to the “horrific instances” of land seizures and violence. This follows reports in the Australian media of increasing cases of torture and murder being carried out on white farmers in South Africa and land redistribution.
On 27 March, a march was organised by the South African community of Brisbane, it started at Emma Miller Place and ended at Queensland Parliament. Many community members gave speeches highlighting the plight of their family and friends in South Africa.
However, according Institute for Security Studies, one of South Africa’s leading authorities on crime statistics, there is no evidence to support the notion that white farmers were targeted more than anyone else in the country.
South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Lindiwe Sisulu, welcomed Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Foreign Minister Jullie Bishop’s retraction of controversial comments made by Dutton in regards to the South African land redistribution process.
“We welcome the assurance by the Australian government as reported in the media that the comments made by their Home Affairs Minister are not in line with Australian immigration policy. We also welcome Australia’s condemnation of the unfortunate comments by South African and other international organisations and leaders‚” Sisulu said.
