Protestors Take Over Clifton Beach in Cape Town
Here are some of the actions that have been going on today.
The Black People's National Crisis Committee in South Africa has organized a protest at Clifton Beach today addressing ongoing racial discrimination in the country.
On Sunday, beach goers were asked to leave Clifton beach in Cape Town, South Africa by guards from a private security company. The City of Cape Town has said that the company did not have the authority to restrict access or ask beach goers to leave, and that an investigation into the incidence is being pursued.
One of the beach goers Fatima Shabodien had reported that she felt discriminated against by the guards when she was asked to leave. Speaking to SABC news she said, "The real issue is in whose interest are they acting and on whose instruction. How is it possible that in our country 24 years post apartheid, a private security company has the right to tell us we don't have access to a public beach... We can't let it happen, it shouldn't be allowed."
Phumzile Jack, an organizer from the Black People's National Crisis Committee described the sentiment behind the protest saying, "All black people know and feel the energy that white people don't want us (blacks) at the malls, beaches, and the Gautrain."
As activists took over the beach today, there were ceremonies held to symbolically cleanse the beach from racism which included slaughtering of sheep. Other protestors who were mostly white also showed up to the beach to counter the occupation with signs written "animal rights are human rights." The white protestors sparked discussions on Twitter as people pointed out how animal rights are often brought up as a distraction from debates around racism.
The hashtags #occupyclifton and #reclaimclifton have also been trending on Twitter as people have been responding to the protest.