Tag: racial inequality

ANC proposes Jurassic Park of white symbols and statues

The ANC government’s proposed plan to rid the country of white statues and symbols includes the appointment of a task team to ensure the acceleration of the process of identification‚ consultation and relocation of statues for a period of between a minimum of three years and a maximum of not more than five years.

Above all‚ the plan includes a special programme to be established to celebrate African history “on the continental scale” to affirm black identity‚ as an antidote for white South African “exceptionalism”.

The term “exceptionalism” alludes to a recently coined phrase depicting Neocons in the US, and has little to do with South Africa or the besieged white minority in the country. The use of the term nevertheless indicates the regime’s level of confusion.

An audit of existing names‚ symbols and sites will be made “to identify those that are considered offensive”, meaning white. These will need to be changed within a specified period, the regime says.

In the instances where there may be “a need for disposal of some of the symbols and statues‚ proper disposal processes and guideline policies will be designed”.

An anti-white racial campaign will thus be launched together with a series of vigorous public re-education sessions.

The establishment of a historical theme park, a kind of Jurassic Park, giving a detailed history and narrative of the evolution of the South African society is part of the scheme.

Transformation of the heritage landscape will be informed and replaced by black and gay symbols or themes that focus on unity, the ANC says.

US racial inequality protests entering fifth day

From Chicago and Miami to Philadelphia and New York, angry race demonstrations in the US are entering a fifth day.

Protesters shut down freeways, chanting “I can’t breathe” and held “die-ins” in the streets. On Saturday, two police officers were injured as demonstrators smashed windows and hurled rocks at police, authorities said.

Black protesters are furious about a grand jury’s decision not to indict a white New York City police officer in the choking death of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man, and took to the streets nationwide late Sunday in a fifth day of demonstrations.

Officers used smoke and tear gas after crowds refused to disperse. Six people were arrested Saturday in Berkeley, bringing to at least 300 the number of people arrested across the country during the protests following the decision not to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo.

Marchers in Berkeley, California, chanted: “Shut it down for Michael Brown.” The white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri who shot Brown, was also aquitted.

In Chicago, about 100 churches organized peaceful rallies throughout the day while in Miami protesters marched onto interstate 195, shutting down the causeway in both directions.

In Philadelphia, about 200 protesters and clergy staged a “die-in,” in which demonstrators lie down on the street, outside the South Philadelphia Sports Complex following the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks game.

Fans leaving the stadium could be heard jeering at the protesters. A black protester said such taunts show work remains to be done on educating people about racial inequality.

In Miami protesters marched onto Interstate 195, shutting down the road in both directions.

Black pro athletes joined in with their own form of protest Sunday: Davin Joseph, an offensive lineman for the St. Louis Rams, penned “I can’t breathe” on his cleats, and Johnson Bademosi, a defensive back for the Cleveland Browns, wore a shirt with the same message penned on the back. That followed Derrick Rose, a point guard for the Chicago Bulls, who on Saturday night also wore a shirt bearing the words during a pre-game warm-up.