Young people in South Africa have come out in support of those who have suffered at the hands of law enforcement officers in the recent past. They were part of a picket organised by the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation held at the Hector Pieterson Memorial Site in Soweto on Sunday morning. The picket was aimed at showing solidarity with the US protest in support of George Floyd who died in Minneapolis at the hands of a police officer.
In the video below, many cities globally hold protests against the killing of George Floyd:
Ahmed Kathrada Foundation Board Member Kathrine shares a few words on racism. #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/NV7cGz6wZj
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Christine Abrahams, a young person who works at the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, says this is the time for the youth to unite through social media and fight cases of racism.
“I love the traction that the recent attention social media posts have gained; I love that young people from all over the world are speaking out about these issues. And I’m glad to call for the end of racism, whether be it here or in the US and against the ill-treatment of people be here because they are very strong right now during this pandemic and across the world.”
The Foundation has called on all those who hold political power across the world to unite in fighting and rooting out racism in society.
The Foundation’s Director Neeshan Balton says dealing with racism needs a concerted effort by world leaders so that people can live in harmony.
“Right wing racism has today moved into the halls of power. We’ve seen in the US and the UK and therefore, those who oppose racism now have a responsibility to organise globally and begin to tackle this phenomenon and begin to recognise it as global phenomenon; not that just affects a particular country today.”
In the video below, President Cyril Ramaphosa says George Floyd’s murder has opened deep wounds:
People across the globe are now calling for action against police brutality and for better race relations. Bolton says the struggle is against oppression around the world.
“It’s a struggle of oppressed people across the world and particularly oppressed people who are not white. Today, the focus is on people in the states but this is a global struggle, one that requires a global response.”
In the video below, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation holds a picket against racism:
