Link to article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/20/anti-racism-protest-in-s-africa-over-whites-only-school-party
Analysis:
The South African anti-riot police fired tear gas at opposition activists protesting against alleged racism at a Cape Town school after a so-called “whites-only” year-end dance party was organized off-site, reportedly by parents.
Nearly 2,000 members of the radical left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party gathered near the school.
“Police fired tear gas, stun grenades, and used a water cannon to prevent the protesters from approaching the school,” Al Jazeera’s Fahmida Miller reported from Cape Town. Miller also stated that protesters were “quite peaceful” and has accused the police of being heavy-handed.
After the fact, police informed the protest organisers that only 100 people were allowed to march to the school.
The party, held at a winery farm in Stellenbosch east of Cape Town, was only the latest incident to spark a protest, in a string of demonstrations against alleged racism at Brackenfell High School.
Prior to the event, a flyer was shared on a special WhatsApp group that included several teachers. The flyer was not shared via regular class WhatsApp groups, one student shared, saying it was clear Black students were meant to be excluded.
“The masked ball was a private party organized by the parents of matriculants, and did not fall under the control of the school at all,” the school’s governing body wrote in a letter to parents.
Despite the end of apartheid generations ago, racial tensions in South Africa appear to remain high. Although this event started with a division in local sentiment over the intent of a party, the involvement of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), currently the third-largest party in both houses of the South African Parliament, has moved this conflict to a national platform. The way in which protests were handled may spark further opposition, while also setting an alarming precedent. Racism in South Africa is widely regarded as an ongoing problem. This, and South Africa’s checkered past with colonial racism and apartheid racism, means that any responses must be methodically thought out and considered.
On a global level of analysis, both Colonialism and Imperialism are responsible for the current conflict. The standards and scars from colonialism and imperialism have made a lasting impression on both the global community and specifically in South Africa. On a domestic level, Apartheid as a social and political system in the era of white minority rule facilitated this event along with other wide spread racist sentiments. Finally on an individual level, the protest organizer and the person who facilitated the party is responsible for this event. Without these specific individuals this event wouldn’t have happened.