South Africa Launches Campaign to Fight Racism and Police Brutality
Dubbed the "Black Friday" campaign, South Africa's ruling African National Congress intends to stand in solidarity with the now widespread Black Lives Matter protests.
South Africa Launches Campaign to Fight Racism and Police Brutality.
Photo by Lintao Zhang/Pool/Getty Images.
African National Congress (ANC)EWNSouth African Communist Party (SACP)Congress of South African Trade UnionsCOSATU)Black Lives MatterREAD: From 'Star Wars' to the War on Racism: John Boyega's Speech at a London Protest Moved Masses
According to Jessie Duarte, the ANC's Deputy Secretary-General, "Racism in South Africa is alive, it's something we need to campaign against and internalise in the psyche of our nation. It is something we are struggling with." Duarte also adds that, "It will start our own Black Friday whenceforth we are called up on to wear black on Friday for the next three weeks."
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In a virtual press briefing, COSATU's General-Secretary, Bheki Ntshalintshali, echoed Duarte's comments saying, "The anti-racism campaign to be launched tomorrow will also highlight the racism in our own country and against security force brutality." Ntshalintshali went on to say, "It shows solidarity with the victims, that they are not alone. That together we stand. It also sends a message to the perpetrators that there are many people outside who say your actions are not warranted."
It is not yet clear what the campaign will entail aside from wearing black every Friday. In light of the deaths of several Black South Africans at the hands of the police, concrete objectives and decisive action are expected of the ruling party lest systemic racism divide the nation and its glaring inequality even further.
Earlier this week, South Africans on social media expressed their anger at the continued killings of Black people at the hands of an anti-Black police establishment during the country's ongoing national lockdown.
