Johannesburg: Final Announcement for Saturday March Against Xenophobia

southern africa | migration / racism | non anarchist press Friday May 23, 2008 09:54 by Coalition Against Xenophobia

Since planning for a march against xenophobia was announced by the Social Movements Indaba (SMI) last week, a number of other concerned organisations and individuals have joined the initiative to help demonstrate a united force in the city of Johannesburg, organised in struggle against the terror and fear that have been sown amongst all of us – South African and non-South African – over the last few weeks. A loose coalition - of organisations affiliated to the SMI; refugee and immigrant communities and organisations from the inner city, Hillbrow and Yeoville; trade unions; groups of artists; and so on - has emerged to reclaim the spaces of our city and townships from the hatred, anger, and violence that have come to occupy them.

On Saturday, the 24th of May, this coalition will be marching, at 9am, from the Pieter Roos Park in Hillbrow (cnr Queens & Empire rds) through Hillbrow and the inner city, past the Gauteng legislature, to the library gardens.

We will deliver a memorandum to government to demand that it takes responsibility for the xenophobia that has resulted in the current state of emergency in Gauteng, and we will hand over a message of solidarity and support to our fellow African brothers and sisters, represented by various organisations and groups.

Hillbrow and the inner city are places in which a large number of immigrants reside. They have also been the sites of much of the violent xenophobia experienced over the last few weeks. We believe that by marching through these areas we will be reclaiming them as spaces in which all of us are able to live free from the threat of xenophobic harassment, and that we will be showing our solidarity and support for those who have been hurt and humiliated in this period. When a minority of people has sown fear and terror amongst all of us in such a manner that division and hatred are easily encouraged and entrenched, we believe that this is even more important.

A cultural programme will follow the march on Saturday, at the library gardens. A programme of events beyond Saturday is also unfolding, and the coalition seems set to continue for some time to come. We believe that it is important to build such a coalition to ensure that the struggle against xenophobia continues, and, that we understand that xenophobia is a manifestation of the legitimate frustrations of the poor and working class in a capitalist society designed to pit one oppressed and exploited group against another. Through the coalition, we hope to bring our different struggles together as we understand their common source in the capitalist system, and direct our anger at this source.

For further information &/or interviews about the march or the coalition, contact:
Silumko Radebe 0731737268 or Makoma Lekalakala 082 682 9177