Police crack down on South African Students

[New Socialist South Africa]

You can read the full background here, as apparently a long post is a blog nowadays: Here we go

In short, today police shot at unarmed students demanding more accessible public tertiary education for the poor and 'missing middle'. This is in line with section Section 29.1(b) of the South African Constitution, which states "Everyone has the right to further education, which the state, through reasonable measures, must make progressively available and accessible". As many poorer students pointed out, they could not afford a 0% increase, but needed a decrease in order to afford the following year. Indeed, given the practise of university's refusing to give results until they are paid the full amount, many noted they could not afford to get their results for this year, and so would see the year wasted tuition wise.

As noted before, the government does have the money to cover this, but is spending 20 times the amount currently spent here on a very dodgy nuclear deal, see: here.

12 students have been arrested and three are in hospital after police opened fire on them with rubber bullets, and their are some allegations and evidence they also used buckshot. The police contend protestors threw rocks at them. A lecture on the scene says she did not see this, and stated that even if this had occurred, the reaction was extreme. After opening fire, other students picked up bottles and rocks and approached police.

Of those arrested, one was a protest leader who appears to have done nothing wrong, as video evidence seems to show, and another was a female protestor dragged over the wall the took cover against and arrested, again for unclear reasons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmjGUaXM2K0

So what is your opinion / insight?

[AiliailiA]

You can read the full background here, as apparently a long post is a blog nowadays: Here we go

So what is your opinion / insight?

I suggest breaking out a whole paragraph of your own opinion, near the end.

To me it's pretty clear you support the protestors and your opinion is related to that, but apparently mods didn't see that in your first thread.

Define subject
Give background and sources
Give opinion
Pose question

[New Socialist South Africa]

You can read the full background here, as apparently a long post is a blog nowadays: Here we go

So what is your opinion / insight?

I suggest breaking out a whole paragraph of your own opinion, near the end.

To me it's pretty clear you support the protestors and your opinion is related to that, but apparently mods didn't see that in your first thread.

Define subject
Give background and sources
Give opinion
Pose question

Alrighty then. As you have noted, and not particularly happy with unarmed protestors getting shot at by police, and with the view that these protestors, who were walking on the sidewalk, are some deadly threat to the community. At the end of the video a white female passerby asks the white female officer why they were firing over the fence. Her response "did you see the bottles and rocks in their hands? Its to protect you. They won't think twice to stone your cars and yourself. Um, So they're there ... then you're safe". This comes with absolutely zero evidence, as all these protests have happened on campus itself, have been peaceful and have not damaged public property.

The narrative of a noble police force protecting the (white) poor innocent townsfolk from the dangerous (black) protestors is an old racist one that has long perpetuated in South Africa, and springs up every time that disenfranchised black majority asks for their rights to be respected and to have access to economic upliftment, such as in the form of education.

[Balkenreich]

I suggest breaking out a whole paragraph of your own opinion, near the end.

To me it's pretty clear you support the protestors and your opinion is related to that, but apparently mods didn't see that in your first thread.

Define subject
Give background and sources
Give opinion
Pose question

Alrighty then. As you have noted, and not particularly happy with unarmed protestors getting shot at by police, and with the view that these protestors, who were walking on the sidewalk, are some deadly threat to the community. At the end of the video a white female passerby asks the white female officer why they were firing over the fence. Her response "did you see the bottles and rocks in their hands? Its to protect you. They won't think twice to stone your cars and yourself. Um, So they're there ... then you're safe". This comes with absolutely zero evidence, as all these protests have happened on campus itself, have been peaceful and have not damaged public property.

The narrative of a noble police force protecting the (white) poor innocent townsfolk from the dangerous (black) protestors is an old racist one that has long perpetuated in South Africa, and springs up every time that disenfranchised black majority asks for their rights to be respected and to have access to economic upliftment, such as in the form of education.

Oh hey, a minority that is acceptable to hate on!

[New Socialist South Africa]

Alrighty then. As you have noted, and not particularly happy with unarmed protestors getting shot at by police, and with the view that these protestors, who were walking on the sidewalk, are some deadly threat to the community. At the end of the video a white female passerby asks the white female officer why they were firing over the fence. Her response "did you see the bottles and rocks in their hands? Its to protect you. They won't think twice to stone your cars and yourself. Um, So they're there ... then you're safe". This comes with absolutely zero evidence, as all these protests have happened on campus itself, have been peaceful and have not damaged public property.

The narrative of a noble police force protecting the (white) poor innocent townsfolk from the dangerous (black) protestors is an old racist one that has long perpetuated in South Africa, and springs up every time that disenfranchised black majority asks for their rights to be respected and to have access to economic upliftment, such as in the form of education.

Oh hey, a minority that is acceptable to hate on!

Which is funny because the women that asks them why they were firing over the fence looks genuinely confused in why its happening, and a lot of people in the town actually support us. A number of the rich elite folks, who given the legacy of Apartheid in South Africa are vastly disproportionately white, have a habit of viewing the protests as inconveniencing their children, who can afford university with ease, and tend to invoke university as a privilege for an elite few. Clearly they aren't familiar with the South African constitution.

[New Socialist South Africa]

Alrighty then. As you have noted, and not particularly happy with unarmed protestors getting shot at by police, and with the view that these protestors, who were walking on the sidewalk, are some deadly threat to the community. At the end of the video a white female passerby asks the white female officer why they were firing over the fence. Her response "did you see the bottles and rocks in their hands? Its to protect you. They won't think twice to stone your cars and yourself. Um, So they're there ... then you're safe". This comes with absolutely zero evidence, as all these protests have happened on campus itself, have been peaceful and have not damaged public property.

The narrative of a noble police force protecting the (white) poor innocent townsfolk from the dangerous (black) protestors is an old racist one that has long perpetuated in South Africa, and springs up every time that disenfranchised black majority asks for their rights to be respected and to have access to economic upliftment, such as in the form of education.

Oh hey, a minority that is acceptable to hate on!

Also, I'm trying to understand how explaining a narrative is hating on someone, and a narrative of them as innocents at the same time. That is like saying I'm hating on women when I say "a group of sexist men created a narrative whereby women are helpless and need to be protected", all the while saying that narrative is false. Maybe you can clarify?

[New Socialist South Africa]

I am happy to report that yesterday all the arrested students were released without having to pay bail. The case presented against them was apparently remarkably weak, and a move to try have them, and 19 others on the University's 'hit list' removed from campus by court order and having them write exams at an off campus location was also over-ruled by the Judge. However, they are not allowed to partake in the protest anymore and had to present themselves before the court today at 08:30am today of their own volition to continue the case.

This came after a day of failed attempts by the prosecution to go after the accused, who was reportedly defeated by our lawyer, who agreed to defend the accused free of charge after witnessing first the brutality of the police arrests from his office. A number of fellow protestors got permission from the court to sit outside, where we waited most of the day to show solidarity with our arrested comrades. While academics was officially meant to continue as 'business as usual', the elected Student Representative Council (SRC) called for a mass stay away, which was overwhelmingly respected by students, many lecturers cancelled their lectures by themselves, and some of the few that remained called off lectures and calmly discussed the matter with us when approached.

One lecturer pepper-spreayed a student who was peacefully disrupting a lecture. The student has taken and treated by a growing group of pharmacy students and students with first aid experience who have offered us their skills as a show of solidarity.

While in a meeting with a different Judge, who has promised to take our concerns to the national Public Protector, Thuli Mandonsela, several of the arrested students were released and joined us to express their views as well. They were greeted with celebrations, songs, tears and embraces from their friends.

[Wolfmanne2]

Bring back apartheid. Bring back apartheid. Bring back apartheid. Vote South African Taliban.

[Dahon]

Bring back apartheid. Bring back apartheid. Bring back apartheid. Vote South African Taliban.

Wow, the edge.

Also, no.

[Wolfmanne2]

Bring back apartheid. Bring back apartheid. Bring back apartheid. Vote South African Taliban.

Wow, the edge.

Also, no.

This was in anticipation of someone inevitably calling for apartheid to be reinstated.

[New Socialist South Africa]

Local student media outlet, OppiTV, has released a report on the events of yesterday: Here

[SUNTHREIT]

Who cares? South Africa is a failed experiment of a country, and has been since not long after 1994.

[Dahon]

Who cares? South Africa is a failed experiment of a country, and has been since not long after 1994.

Given the bitterness between those who see themselves as white (and superior in many things) and those who see themselves as black (and numerous), that post-apartheid South Africa would have its problems transitioning into a multi"racial" (I'm sorry, but I tend to be pedantic) democracy is a given.

But failed experiment? Please.

[New Socialist South Africa]

Who cares? South Africa is a failed experiment of a country, and has been since not long after 1994.

So since not long after all races got an equal vote? Ok good to know. You can go now thanks. Hamba kahle.