Pro-Palestine supporters were arrested after a clash with police in Sea Point, Cape Town, on Sunday. [Picture: Cape Town ETC]
Four pro-Palestine protesters will appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Monday. They were arrested on charges of public violence during a tense rally Sunday afternoon.
Videos on social media showed chaotic scenes at the Sea Point promenade as about 1 000 people rallied in solidarity with the Palestinians. They reportedly disrupted a pro-Israel prayer meeting that was also set to take place at the same time.
Police used stun grenades and water cannons to disperse the crowd. Seven people were arrested and two firearms seized, reported The Citizen.
Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis condemned the “violence” of the pro-Palestine rally. He suggested it deserved condemnation from those who valued “free expression” in an “open democracy”.
“While residents or groups may disagree vehemently with one another, they may not engage in violent disruption. We call on all residents to desist from doing so. Every person or group, of every belief and persuasion, has the right to protest peacefully in South Africa,” he said.
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— Voice of the Cape (@VOCfm) November 12, 2023
Pro-Palestine supporters have descended upon the streets of Sea Point in solidarity with the besieged people of Palestine. The impromptu march comes after a pro-Israeli prayer meeting was set to be held in the area earlier today.
Photo: VOCfm#Palestine #COCT pic.twitter.com/0WmMbA1Yi8
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Abeedah Adams, a member of the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign (PSC), told GroundUp that Zionism was not welcome in the Mother City. However, she confirmed this was not an organised counter-protest.
“It was more spontaneous: people responding to the posters and the media about the pro-Israeli protest … I think there’s a very strong sentiment that we can’t allow that kind of Zionism. It’s not welcome in the City of Cape Town,” she said.
Meanwhile, global outrage at Israel’s stubborn refusal to agree to a ceasefire is building. The tide is turning at a grassroots level as Benjamin Netanyahu’s relentless air, sea and land attacks on a sovereign territory, the densely-populated home to more than a million children, has claimed no less than 11 100 lives.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus earlier warned of a “dire and perilous” situation at hospitals in Gaza. A number of patients, including premature babies were “tragically” dying as the two largest hospitals – Al Shifa and Al Quds – were forced to close.
