Black First Land First (BLF) notes with concern the new consensus to criminalize racism amongst the three main parliamentary parties . The ANC, DA and EFF have agreed to pass legislation to criminalize racism in the wake of the Penny Sparrow saga. However, all three parties have no understanding of what racism is and therefore black people run the real risk of bring targeted by the proposed legislation and prosecuted for racism.
Individual acts of racism such as that displayed by Sparrow are made possible by institutional racism which in turn is founded on colonial land theft that created white power. Racism shall never end unless institutional racism is ended and white power dismantled. This is the fundamental question that the parliamentary parties don’t understand because their shared ideological orientation is for the preservation of the racist status qou.
BLF calls upon black people to reject this trap! Furthermore BLF insists that before these political parties criminalize racism they must meet the following conditions:
1. Return the land to the black people Now!
2. Adopt the principle of “blacks can’t be racist”.
These two demands are the only conditions that would prevent the proposed legislation from being an instrument against black people by racists. Without land return and the principle of “blacks can’t be racist”, the proposed legislation will be nothing but an AFRIFORUM Act to harass and criminalise black people who fight against racism. This is a trap we must not fall into!
BLF asks the question: since when is the DA, a known party of racism, an organ against racism? Criminalisation of racism whilst not decolonising society will lead to nothing but the criminalisation of black people.
BLF says land first – only then shall white power be broken and racism defeated.
ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL COORDINATING COMMITTEE OF THE BLACK FIRST LAND FIRST MOVEMENT
7 JANUARY 2016
Contact Details
Black First Land First Mail: blackfirstlandfirst@gmail.com
Zanele Lwana
(National Spokesperson)
Cell: +27 79 486 9087
Mail: zanelelwana@gmail.com
Lindsay Maasdorp
(National Spokesperson)
Cell: +27 79 915 2957
Mail: lgmaasdorp@hotmail.com
BLACK1st LAND1st 