Wits University must drop charges against students and not bend to Israel lobby
The Young Communist League of South Africa [uFasimba] notes with extreme concern, the charges laid by the University of the Witwatersrand against 11 of the students who protested peacefully at a concert sponsored by the Israeli embassy in March.
The students have been accused of spurious charges including singing, protesting and dancing. None of the charges relate to violence or assault. Rather, the students were racially profiled by the concerts organisers and had racist terms hurled at them by the white concert goers such as "monkeys" and "savages".
We believe that outside interference has played a major role in pressuring Wits University to pursue these flimsy charges. The South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD), the main organisation pushing for disciplinary action against the students has a long history of supporting apartheid in South Africa and lobbying against attempts to end it.
The SAJBD intimidated Jewish anti-apartheid activists and did their utmost to prevent US Jews from adopting the global call for the boycott of apartheid South Africa
It is therefore of no surprise that the SAJBD, a supporter of Israeli apartheid and war crimes, is trying to prevents students' right to protest and freedom of association. While our leaders were imprisoned and in exile, students and peace loving people all over the world supported our struggle by disrupting and protesting against South African cultural and sporting events.