Afriforum doesn’t want the old SA Apartheid flag banned and South Africans respond

Social media has been ablaze since news of non-governmental organisation AfriForum opposing any restriction on the display of the old South African flag as an infringement on free speech. This is after the Nelson Mandela Foundation applied to the equality court in Johannesburg to declare the gratuitous display of the old flag as hate speech, unfair discrimination and race-based harassment.

Deputy CEO of AfriForum Ernst Roets, said: “The notion that you can fight ideas by banning a symbol has never worked. You should engage and debate with those people and prove to them why they are wrong. Banning it would not solve anything”

I will be debating the CEO of the Nelson Mandela Foundation on BBC Radio tonight about its intention to have the old SA flag banned & declared hate speech.

— Ernst Roets (@ErnstRoets) March 1, 2018

The Nelson Mandela Foundation released a statement saying that it believes that while the old flag is part of history, it belongs in museums, documentaries and other creative works.

“The decision to launch this application comes after years of watching public displays of the old flag and hoping that such behaviour would stop. These displays demonstrably compound the pain experienced by millions of black South Africans who suffered under apartheid and continue to struggle under its legacy. Displays of the old flag at demonstrations against farm murders on “Black Monday”, 30 October 2017, at least two of which were verified, persuaded us that the time had come to act.”

“After extensive consultation and reflection following “Black Monday”, the Foundation posed the question: ‘Is it time to criminalize displays of the old flag?’  Through public debates with AfriForum, one of the leading figures in the ‘Black Monday’ demonstrations, it became apparent to the Foundation that some South Africans do not fully appreciate that apartheid was a crime against humanity (as the United Nations declared in 1973), and that gratuitous displays of apartheid symbols, such as the old flag, are a celebration of that crime and a humiliation of its victims. During these debates AfriForum conceded that displaying the old flag was ‘unwise’ as it ‘offends some people’, but argued that it should nevertheless not be ‘unlawful’ as it was a part of history and ‘you cannot ban history’.

Here is how some people have responded on social media:

https://twitter.com/HaakmanMarinus/status/969464363496235010

@UvekaR The guy from Afriforum has weak arguments. Communism is a wide spread political ideology which unfortunately allowed for fascist dictators to rise to power. Apartheid was a very specific crime against a specific population. #eNCA

— Taz Cas (@Taz_Cassim) March 2, 2018

So the Racist Organization AfriForum will launch a comprehensive international campaign to inform governments and foreign investors worldwide that property rights in South Africa are being threatened #LandExpropriation

— African (@ali_naka) February 28, 2018

https://twitter.com/hanninedrake/status/969497535005020160

https://twitter.com/Ari_Gold99/status/969453545685700608

Since Parliament will be dealing with an amendment to the Constitution, it should also ban right-wing organizations like @afriforum. A progressive society can do without these clowns.

— Sentletse 🇷🇺🇿🇦🇵🇸 (@Sentletse) February 28, 2018

Since #Afriforum has taken it upon themselves to challenge the application to have the Apartheid flag banned, I suggest we turn up the heat and call for the exclusion of 'Die Stem' from our national anthem. We've entertained the racist bigots for far too long.

— Kay RB (@KayRB_7) March 2, 2018

https://twitter.com/Skhumbalecious/status/969468019746492416

#Afriforum fantasizing about times of old when their ideology was thriving. They hold onto the one flag under it atrocities were committed to black ppl. TRC was a redundant exercise bcos certain ppl in this country were never for a united ppl in this country. Such a shame.

— SOUTHPAW (@Gregory89p) March 2, 2018