"I'll remember your face, you fucker."

southern africa | repression / prisoners | press release Monday February 09, 2009 17:34 by Wits University Student Coalition on Palestine - Wits University, Johannesburg

Wits University students harassed by heavily armed SAPS uniformed men.

"I'll remember your face, you fucker" were the parting words of inspector Pretorius as he sped away from a group of more than thirty university students who had been harassed and assaulted by Pretorius and his SAPS uniformed colleagues for at least two hours. Students of Wits University and the University of Johannesburg, carrying paper placards and painted banners, were traveling by bus to a COSATU rally at the South African Zionist Federation where speeches were to be delivered. The COSATU rally formed part of a campaign of nationwide actions in support of the people of Gaza under the banner "Free Palestine, Isolate Apartheid Israel".

Heavily armed, uniformed SAPS men in unmarked BMWs forced the bus to come to a halt on Louis Botha, in Johannesburg, blocks before its destination. Using physical force, shouting in an aggressive and violent manner and intimidating student representatives with guns, they demanded the bus turn back to the university campus. Failure to comply, they insisted, would result in all students being arrested. For two hours students endured unrelenting threats and harassment, assault and offensive language with no response to calls for compromise or explanation. Finally, two officers with shotguns boarded the bus of unarmed tudents, the officers had additional ammunition and a "pistol whose name is Peter" [according to inspector Pretorius] and forced the bus to return to Wits University campus. The SAPS uniformed
men made it clear that they were ready to use their weapons against the group of students. In fact, when a student remarked that the SAPS dressed members will probably 'moer' (severely beat up) the students to teach them a lesson, inspector Martiz, simply nodded his head and grinned in agreement.

Students (including a unity of members from Wits branches of the ANCYL, YCL, SASCO, PSC, YID, Amnesty International and Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Front) chanted and sang at the SAPS uniformed men as they were "escorted" back to campus: "This is not 1976!", "We do not want those guns on our campus!" and "Boycott Apartheid Israel". In a symbolic gesture the students retreated to the back of the bus leaving rows of space between them and the shotguns. Upon arrival at the University a demonstration was held on the corner of Yale and Empire roads, which grew over two hours with much support and cheer from peak-hour passer-bys.

Students are disgusted and angered by the brutality of the the SAPS dressed security men. There is no justification for the violent and intimidating threats made against a group of unarmed youth traveling from a university campus to a peaceful rally. This only strengthens the resolve of South African students to remain steadfast in our campaign of solidarity with Palestinians who resist Israeli occupation daily. Furthermore, these tactics of intimidation, obviously influenced and encouraged by the Zionist lobby in SA, will not deter the students. "We are motivated most recently by the SATAWU dock workers who continue to refuse to offload Israeli goods and the growing success of the campaign to 'Free Palestine and Isolate Apartheid Israel'" said Mbuyeiseni Ndlozi, one of the Wits students.

For further Information, contact:
Mbuyiseni Ndlozi 073 133 3012
Natasha Vally 082 660 0723
Muhammed Desai 084 211 9988