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SOUTH AFRICAN CONSULATE-GENERAL
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Office of the Ambassador
Embassy of South Africa
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Tel: (202) 232-4400
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Email: congress [at] southafrica.net

Professor Thandabantu Nhlapo
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Fax: (202)265-1607
Email: congress [at] southafrica.net
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More Repression
by Indymedia-SA • Tuesday September 03, 2002 at 06:33 AM


Police brutality reminiscent of apartheid has been unleashed on peaceful protesters in Johannesburg.

More Repression

Last night a group of 150 protesters marched peacefully from the Johannesburg College of Education (JCE) to the Hillbrow police station to demand the release of Salim Vally, member of the Board of the Freedom of Expression Institute and the Palestinian Solidarity Group. He had earlier been arrested at JCE where he was trying to gain access to his office, also on the campus. Members of the Jewish Board of Deputies and the South African Police Services had been forcefully preventing people who ‘looked Muslim’ from gaining access to the campus where Shimon Peres was delivering a speech. Some people were dragged out of the meeting venue and refused the opportunity to listen to the speech. Outside, protesters were fired at with water cannons and beaten by the police. This did not deter them and they continued to gather peacefully at JCE, joined by members of the Social Movements Indaba and Indymedia-SA activists. At around 7pm the decision was taken to march peacefully down to the Hillbrow police station where Salim was being held without charge. The police escorted the group of protesters out of JCE and right up to the Hillbrow police station, redirecting traffic and allowing the march to proceed without incident. When the protesters arrived at the police station they sat down in the streets. Without warning, police opened fire on the group – they used stun grenades, water cannons and rubber bullets. They also baton-charged people. Police could be seen chasing protesters into the alleys of Hillbrow and beating them up. It is unclear what the intention of the police was – if it was to disperse people, surely their actions should have been preceded by a warning? If it was to disperse people, surely they should have stopped with their actions as soon as people started running away when the water cannons and stun grenades were fired? Instead, it seems as if they had the clear intention of hurting people and instilling fear in people. It also seems deliberate that they led protesters away from the media and attention before unleashing their brute force.

Many people were injured during last night’s fracas. Indymedia-SA activist and key member of the Social Movement’s Indaba and the Anti-Privatisation Forum, Ahmed Veriava, was hit and fired at with rubber bullets. He was hit in the leg and hand. A rubber bullet the size of a marble was lodged in his left hand. He was lucky enough to be able to flee the scene and run to Brenthurst Clinic just up the road. Here, the bullet was removed and he received treatment for shock. Today he is undergoing surgery at Helen Joseph Hospital as he has suffered a serious fracture to the bones of one of his fingers and might lose this finger. Julien leblanc, a French Canadian intern working with the Anti-Eviction Campaign in Cape Town, was shot with 3 rubber bullets in the back. He suffered surface injuries and is in a stable condition. Solomzi Sijora, Wits student and activist, was chased and beaten up. His partner, Luyanda Tetjana, was also chased, beaten and threatened with rape by the police.

Last night smacks of police brutality and repression.

To watch what actually happened last night, you can attend an Indymedia-SA film screening of footage from last night’s actions at 14h00 at the Indymedia-SA Centre, Workers’ Library & Museum, Newtown.

For further details and to arrange interviews, please call: Prishani Naidoo – 0839629760
Or visit http://southafrica.indymedia.org