Capetonians rally in support of UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese
United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, speaks at Die Groote Kerk in Cape Town.
Image: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, urged attendees at a packed Groote Kerk in Cape Town to harness their consumer power and protest with their rands.
Interfaith Capetonians came out in droves to pack the church to listen to Albanese and hear a discussion on justice, accountability, and the future of international law in the face of ongoing apartheid and genocide in Palestine.
Shortly after Albanese’s arrival, Reverend Rene August from SA Christians for a Free Palestine apologised to her for the court papers that were delivered by a sheriff acting on an unauthorised instruction issued by an official in the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development.
The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, ordered the immediate withdrawal of court papers that were irregularly served without the knowledge or approval of either the Minister or the Director-General.
Albanese touched on a range of issues when she appeared in Cape Town, but she highlighted that intervening for Palestine is not an act of charity, but an act of uniting the struggles.
“The reason why there are still so many brothers and sisters in shantytowns a few kilometres from here, and in Soweto, is that apartheid has been removed, maybe, from the legal documents, but the underpinning structures of occupation and exploitation are still there.
She said that no one has respected the law, and has not respected cutting ties with Israel.
She also touched on those who left their countries to serve in the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) and that “they need to be considered suspect”.
“This applies to nationals and Israelis who come here to rest from the massacres,” Albanese said.
Interfaith Capetonians came out in droves to pack the church to listen to Francesca Albanese.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Newspapers
Albanese touched on a range of issues when she appeared in Cape Town, telling people that the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement should help guide them as “we have powers as consumers”.
While Albanese didn’t shy away from criticising the government for its continued supply of coal to Israel, she commended South Africa for bringing its case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
“I wouldn’t say that South Africa hasn’t done anything…While I criticise the South African government on a number of things, it has done so much in terms of holding a principled stance, and opening the doors for others to come and follow, with the ICJ case, but also the Hague group,” she said.
Reverend Alan Boesak, who also addressed attendees after the discussion, said that South Africa’s supply of coal must be stopped.
Albanese will be in Cape Town for a day, during which she will also be remotely addressing the United Nations on her report “Gaza Genocide: a collective crime”, as she was sanctioned by the United States, which bars her from travelling to the country.