AfriForum Plans to Appeal Dismissal of “Kill the Boer” Hate Speech Case Against EFF

• South African lobby organisation AfriForum will head back to court to appeal the dismissal of the"Kill the Boer” hate speech case
• The policy and action head, Ernst Koets, said the organisation will not stand for the romanticisation of violence against minorities
• The lobby group want to make it unlawful for the EFF to use the struggle song at its rallies and have it ruled as hate speech

PRETORIA- AfriForum says it will appeal the Equal Court dismissal on the “Kill the Boer” struggle song. The court ruled that the use and singing of the chant is not hate speech and does not incite violence.

The lobby group said that they work closely with victims of farm attacks and the families of people killed in the attacks, which is why they are disappointed with the verdict.

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Ernst Roets, AfriForum’s policy and action head, said that the ruling showed that the South African political order is becoming radicalised against minorities.

Roets said:

“There is no place in society for songs that encourage the killing of people based on their identity.”

AfriForum brought the case against EFF leader Julius Malema and MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi after they allegedly sang the struggle song outside the bail hearing of Brendin Horner’s murderers in October 2020.

SABC News reported that the lobby group wants the court to impose sanctions on the EFF and for the party’s leaders to make an apology.

According to TimesLIVE, the court ruled that singing the song does not constitute hate speech and ordered the lobby organisation to pay the cost of the case.

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EFF treasurer general, Omphile Maotwe, said the EFF welcomes the dismissal of the case and will continue to sing the song.

Roets said that the romanticisation of violence against minorities is oppressive.

South Africans react to AfriForum's plan to appeal "Kill the Boer" case

South Africans feel that the judgement that the "Kill the Boer" song doesn't constitute hate speech was wrong.

@HKM316 said:

“This is a revolution song which truly reflects the struggle for our emancipation. It must be sung.”

@ThembaMotaung11 commented:

"It’s a song, like the old South African flag. If one is offensive, so is the other. Personally I don’t care to defend either."

“Kiss the Boer” court verdict fails to spark joy in South Africans, “This is biased and unacceptable”

In related news, Briefly News reported that the Johannesburg High Court dismissed a civil society group’s attempt to rule the struggle song, Dubul’ ibhunu (Kill the Boer) as hate speech. AfriFroum sought to end the Economic Freedom Fighters’ use of the song at rallies.

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AfriForum suffers devastating loss in "Kiss the Boers" case against EFF over insufficient evidence

The political party came under fire for singing the song, which led to the group accusing EFF Leader Julius Malema of inciting violence. The “Kill the Boer” case was dismissed with costs.

Members of the EFF have celebrated the ruling and cited it as free speech and a cultural element of the liberation struggle of the country. However, the ruling also sparked further debate around the lyrics.

Source: Briefly News