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UN Conference Against Racism: Other Views At South Africa IMC |
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by Indymedia - south africa
(No verified email address) |
31 Aug 2001
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There has been little in the US press about the UN Conference Against Racism, except the US State Dept's stated concern that Zionism as racism not be discussed. Besides the fact that IFone chooses to view Israel's internal policies as NOT racist, then one MUST conclude that it MUST THEN BE an official policy of religious persecution against Moslems, this represents another failure of the dominant media to take seriously the demands of anyone except rich, white people worried about their next tax cut. And nevermind US domestic policies that are explicitly racist in their outcomes. For alternative views of the UNCAR, visit the newest IMC, the South Africa IMC. |
 There has been little in the US press about the UN Conference Against Racism, except the US State Dept's stated concern that Zionism as racism not be discussed. Besides the fact that IFone chooses to view Israel's internal policies as NOT racist, then one MUST conclude that it MUST THEN BE an official policy of religious persecution against Moslems, this represents another failure of the dominant media to take seriously the demands of anyone except rich, white people worried about their next tax cut. And nevermind US domestic policies that are explicitly racist in their outcomes. For alternative views of the UNCAR, visit the newest IMC, the South Africa IMC. |
South African Independent Media Centre
Press Statement
Monday 27th August 2001 4pm
The South African Independent Media Centre, "IndyMedia SA", was launched today as part of a growing movement of anti-corporate globalisation media around the world. The Press conference was attended by over 60 people including journalists, mass based community organizations and civil society conference delegates.
The conference gave voice to local and international discontents leading up to the UN anti racism conference later this week. Panel members lashed out against the ANC, accusing the organisation of being party to the reproduction of racism trough the implementation of economic policies like GEAR and privistisation.
The Durban Social Forum, a network of organizations from across the country that is co-ordinating the "pavement conference" - a grassroots alternative to the WCAR, and various protest actions over the next two weeks highlighted the continued presence of discriminatory practices in the face of the silence of World Leaders attending the main conference.
"It is racist for us to be evicted, it is racist for us to have no access to land or basic services, and it is racist that multinationals are being brought in to profit at the expense of the poor" said Mandla Sishi of Jubilee South Africa. The view was echoed across the panel of speaker who argued that it was necessary to begin looking at the continued dominance of mainly white capital.
Speaking for the DSF, veteran anti-apartheid activist and anti-eviction campaigner, Professor Fatima Meer said that the Pavement Conference convened by the DSF represents the people who have no resources of any description.
Virginia Setshedi of the Soweto Electricity Crisis Committee, which is affiliated to the Durban Social Forum, and is leading a boycott of Eskom high prices and disconnections of the poor of Soweto said that "Indy Media SA provides a great opportunity for us as our voices are never heard. All the rights that we are guaranteed in the constitution are constantly infringed upon by the GEAR and privatization policies currently being put in place by the ANC."
This statement was echoed by Orlean Naidoo, Vice-Chairperson of the Concerned Citizens Forum which campaigns against water cut offs and evictions in Chatsworth, Durban. Naidoo said that the CCF does not see racism as the real issue. She added that "poverty is the real issue affecting us but we as the poor are so invisible that even our government has lost sight of the problem. We just don’t understand where the government is focusing its direction."
Landlessness was high on the agenda. Sishi hit out hard against the ANC. "We are clear about what we want, we want land and if it means that the constitutional clause on private property must be amended then so be it." Sishi added that the masses are tired of being pacified. "If this goes on we are going to take land and reconnect our water and electricity and face any struggles that happen out of that."
Andile Mngxitama, leader of the newly established Landless People’s Movement, said that landlessness in South Africa today is a continuation of apartheid. He criticized the government’s policy of land reforms saying that "government policies come from Davos, and have not been influenced by the needs of ordinary citizens."
Speakers all said that their organizations would strongly support the coming COSATU General Strike against privatization. Andile Mngxitama said that the COSATU strike indicated that workers have reached a point where they can no longer lie to themselves. "Farm workers continue to be semi-slaves while the remaining workers live in poverty without basic services."
"The Landless People’s Movement supports the COSATU strike and we say if government does not move forward on the land issue, they will be pushed."
Salim Vally of the National Consultative Forum on Palestine, a network co-ordinating Palestine support groups from across the country, said that hundreds of supporters of Palestine would be converging on Durban in the next few days. "Thousands of South Africans have already signed a declaration calling for a secular democratic Palestine and not Arafat's racist Bantustan state" said Vally.
The press conference was interrupted by an announcement from the spokesperson of the Arab Caucus at the WCAR NGO Forum, who announced that a prominent Palestinian leader was assassinated one hour earlier after Israeli troops shot missiles into his home and office. The mood of the conference of highly militant as the organisations present reasserted their support for the peoples of Palestine.
………/ends
For comment please call IndyMedia SA Press Liasion Officer Prishani Naidoo on 083 709 2970 or +27 31 332 3191
Streaming video interviews with NGO Forum and Pavement Conference participants, as well as up to the minute breaking news, will be available from tomorrow onwards on the IndyMedia Website: |
See also:
www.southafrica.indymedia.org
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