Over 150 Former International Anti-Apartheid Activists Call on South Africa's ANC to Boycott Israel

Over 150 Former International Anti-Apartheid Activists Call on South Africa's ANC to Boycott Israel


BDS South Africa

October 26, 2012

http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/over-150-former-international-anti-apartheid-activists-tell-south-africas-anc?utm

At the opening plenary of the African National
Congress' (ANC) 3rd International Solidarity
Conference (26-28 October), former Dutch anti-
apartheid activist, Adri Nieuwhof, presented a
statement on behalf of over 150 former international
anti-apartheid activists to the ANC. The call has the
support of signatories from more than 19 countries,
belonging to over 35 organizations. It also has the
backing of long-time international ANC supporters
such as E.S. Reddy, Alice Walker, Victoria Brittain
and Prexy Nesbitt.

The statement begins:







"We - former international anti-apartheid activists -



supported the ANC and the people of South Africa in



their fight for liberation and against apartheid by



mobilizing support for boycott, divestment and



sanctions against the South African apartheid



regime. We succeeded to put the crime of apartheid



on the agenda of political parties, trade unions,



churches.and concerned citizens. We called on



people not to buy apartheid products and we



discouraged tourism to the country. We campaigned



for a weapons embargo, an oil embargo, a



Krugerrand boycott, a sports, academic and



cultaural boycott."







The former international anti-apartheid activists



then go on to express their "deep concern" regarding



Israel's ongoing violations of the rights of the



Palestinian people with "total impunity".







The statement by the former international activists



(who once mobilized in their countries for the



isolation of Apartheid South Africa) specifically calls



on the ANC (South Africa's ruling party) to explicitly



support the Palestinian boycott, divestment and



sanctions (BDS) against Israel campaign:







"On the occasion of the 3rd ANC International



Solidarity Conference, we call on the ANC to support



the Palestinian people in their fight for freedom,



justice and equality.. We call on the ANC to



support the Palestinian call for boycott, divestment



and sanctions (BDS) as expression of the party's



solidarity with the struggle of the Palestinian people



to enjoy their rights."







Nieuwhof commented after presenting the statement



on behalf of her international anti-apartheid



counterparts: "We once galvanized world opinion



against Apartheid South Africa, the time is to now



galvanize world opinion against Apartheid Israel. I



am confident that the ANC will heed our call."







Signatories to the call include the former United



Nations Centre Against Apartheid director, E.S.



Reddy; Prexy Nesbitt of the World Council of



Churches Program to Combat Racism; the acclaimed



author and US civil rights activist, Alice Walker;



Mireille Fanon, the daughter of Frantz Fanon and



the current President of the Fanon Foundation;



Victoria Brittain from the UK Anti-Apartheid



Movement and Kate Gilford of the Mozambique



Angola Guinea Bissau Information Committee.







BDS South Africa salutes the former international



anti-apartheid activists who have made this call to



the ANC and are encouraged by their consistency -



they once supported the oppressed South African



people, and now the oppressed Palestinians.







The ANC's 3rd International Solidarity Conference is
taking place this weekend in South Africa's capital
city, Pretoria/Tshwane, and will conclude on

Sunday the 28th of October.

Read the full statement with the names of all the

signatories:

http://www.bdssouthafrica.com/2011/10/call-by-former-international-anti.html