South Africa's EFF leader Julius Malema found guilty of hate speech
South Africa's Equality Court ruled that Julius Malema incited violence with his 2022 rally remarks, a verdict his party disputes.
Opposition leader Julius Malema, head of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), has been convicted of hate speech by South Africa's Equality Court after remarks at a 2022 rally.
Malema—whose party often stirs debate in a country still grappling with racial tensions three decades after apartheid—made the comments following an alleged assault on an EFF member by a white man. He said: “No white man is going to beat me up... you must never be scared to kill. A revolution demands that at some point there must be killing.”
Court ruling and EFF response
The court found that Malema’s words “demonstrated an intent to incite harm” and qualified as vigilantism and extreme incitement. Two complaints were lodged: one by the Human Rights Commission and another by an individual who felt threatened.
In its verdict, the court stated that while condemning racism is acceptable, calling for violence crosses the line. The EFF has criticized the ruling as “fundamentally flawed,” arguing that the remarks were metaphorical and rooted in liberation rhetoric.
International implications
In June, the UK barred Malema entry, deeming him “non-conducive to the public good,” citing his past support for Hamas and calls for violence against white South Africans. The EFF condemned the decision as “cowardice” and harmful to democratic debate.
Malema’s chants of the anti-apartheid song “Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer” have also drawn criticism. South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that protest songs are not literal calls to violence when performed in context.
Malema’s conviction underscores the fine line between political rhetoric and incitement to violence in a society still healing from racial divisions.
This topic was reported by BBC.
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