The South African Jewish Board of Deputies is appalled by the statement issued by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), following the attack on Member of Parliament (MP) Emma Powell during their Cape Town event on South Africa’s G20 strategic goals last week. SAIIA’s statement acquiesced to the bullying and intimidation, blamed the victim, deflected responsibility, and sided with the perpetrators of this ambush against Powell.
SAIIA’s mission statement clearly claims to advance a “well-governed, peaceful, economically sustainable, and globally engaged Africa” through a number of means including by creating platforms for public debate, hosting diverse speakers, and "engaging governments, civil society, media, and academia." This implies a commitment to free expression as a cornerstone of democratic governance and informed public discourse. We are alarmed that SAIIA’s statement failed to condemn those who attacked Powell, forcing the event to end. It is diametrically opposed to SAIIA’s supposed ideals.
We would have expected SAIIA, as the organizer of the event and the host of MP Powell, to come out strongly against those that silenced their invited speaker. Their statement, if anything, is sympathetic to the disrupters and the attackers, rather than the woman, who in good faith had honoured their invitation to share her views as a parliamentarian. SAIIA bore the responsibility for upholding Powell’s right to free expression, and, failing this, should apologize to MP Powell and not the aggressors who stormed the room silencing her.
The scenes of violence and thuggery that emerged from the event should be unequivocally condemned. SAIIA’s limp statement is not a defense of free speech, it is the promotion of the forces intent on silencing anyone who dare hold a view that contradicts their own.
