Video comparing Malema to Hitler sparks conflict

A video created by South African musician David Scott (known as The Kiffness) this week comparing the rise of the Nazi Party to that of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has resulted in support, offence, backlash, and a slew of antisemitic comments on social media.

At the beginning of the video, Scott shares a tweet where the Democratic Alliance last week likened the EFF “red shirts” to Nazi brownshirts. He explains that he took audio from a video which shows Hitler’s rise to power, and “matched it up with Julius’ rise to power, and it’s actually quite scary how similar it is. So make up your own mind, and hopefully we can learn from history and make sure history isn’t repeated here in South Africa.”

Thousands of people on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram commented in response, including at least 15 comments on Facebook praising Hitler and saying it was an insult to compare him to Julius Malema.

Bonginkosi Hoko wrote among other points, “Take out what Hitler did to the Jewish nation. He achieved economic success … Adolf Hitler – I’m so in love with him, I only wear Puma brand because it resembles the Nazi salutation style … I’m 100% sure those huge German brands do praise Hitler. They wouldn’t have made it if it weren’t for Adolf Hitler’s ideas and ambition. Yes, maybe he was wrong for killing the Jews, but in my eyes, we are better without the Jewish people just like he believes.”

Mary Kluk, the president of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) and the director of the Durban Holocaust & Genocide Centre, says, “The comment by Bonginkosi Hoko in particular is blatantly offensive and dangerous.” The SAJBD has reported the issue to Facebook, and is investigating the best way forward.

Regarding Scott’s video, she says, “All Nazi analogies are highly problematic, irrespective of whether they are made by politicians, the media, or anyone else. Not only are they disrespectful to those who experienced the Holocaust and minimise a unique and unparalleled part of our history, they can also easily provoke pro-Nazi and antisemitic discourse.”

But in an interview with the SA Jewish Report, Scott says, “I believe there are very strong parallels between Malema and Hitler’s rise to power. Left unchecked, it could have dire consequences for our already fragile democracy. I don’t want to know what would happen to South Africa if Malema did come into power. All I know is that prevention is better than cure.

“I disavow antisemitic comments of any nature. I find it deeply disturbing that anyone would make light of the Holocaust. I think any reasonable person would agree that the video was made with no intention of inviting any forms of antisemitism, and it’s highly unfortunate that anyone would think that my video would invite such comments.”

He says he made the video because he noticed in recent months that “basic freedoms are starting to be encroached on by the EFF, the ANC [African National Congress] and mainstream media. The white minority is a clear target, and ordinary white South African citizens are being made the scapegoat for a much bigger problem: government corruption. I couldn’t help but revisit what happened to the Jewish people in Germany during Hitler’s rise to power. Germany’s economy was bust, and it, too, found a scapegoat in Jewish people.”

He believes that “the parallels to Malema’s rise to power are self-evident. Disturbingly, the Human Rights Commission is doing nothing to protect citizens against the onslaught of attacks from Julius Malema, so if it’s not going to do anything about it, then it’s up to ordinary citizens to be brave and speak the truth. As Churchill once said, ‘Those that cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.’”

As a musician with a large following, Scott started commenting on social and political issues last year. “I realised that I could use my platform to affect real change. I figured I could merge my political views with music, which is when I started making satirical parody songs. That being said, satirical parody isn’t always the correct medium, which is why I took this latest video seriously.”

Regarding the backlash to the video, Scott says, “My content often deals with sensitive issues, so I’m no stranger to backlash. Many EFF supporters were offended. I found that among the Jewish community, there were many who agreed with me, but also those who didn’t.

“There was a Jewish gentleman that I’ve worked with who lashed out at me online. He was upset that I would compare a man who was responsible for the killing of millions of Jewish people to Malema. I phoned him straight away and explained that my intention was to compare the two men in the context of their positions of power at the time – so in Hitler’s case, prior to the Holocaust. We met up for lunch today, and had a very warm heart to heart.

“That being said, I understand that the truth is unfortunately not always as important as the person saying it. Someone shared a video of a black Jewish man [Sihle Ngobese aka Big Daddy Liberty] essentially saying the same thing I said, albeit far more eloquently, so I shared his video subsequent to mine. In hindsight, I wish I could somehow have made it more obvious that I wasn’t comparing Malema to the man responsible for millions of deaths, but rather to the man Hitler was becoming before the Holocaust.”

Milton Shein, emeritus professor of history at the University of Cape Town and antisemitism expert, says, “While [Scott] cleverly draws similarities, the context is very different. This isn’t to suggest that Malema and the EFF aren’t dangerous, but Malema has said many things about an inclusive society of blacks and whites which Hitler would never have said about Jewish Germans and non-Jewish Germans. Fascism was a third way, with no wish to maintain Westminster parliamentarianism.

“Malema appears [at least on the surface] to respect parliament as an institution, elections, chapter-nine institutions and so forth,” he says. “Having said that, there are many worrying signs in Malema’s language and the behaviour of the EFF. Ultimately, he is a racial nationalist with authoritarian tendencies.”

Regarding the slew of antisemitic comments, Shain says, “We see these sorts of sentiments all the time on social media. Crackpots and fantasist have greater ability today to share their vile thoughts than ever before.”