Marching for terrorism disguised as activism

On 5 October 2024, a parade of moral degradation took place in the streets of Cape Town. Under the misleading banner of a “March for Palestine”, what unfolded wasn’t a call for peace or an outcry for justice. Instead, it was a brazen celebration of the very organisations responsible for the most heinous acts of terror.

This was no protest for human rights; it was an open endorsement of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other groups that thrive on the blood of innocent civilians, particularly Jewish ones.

The scene was chilling. Massive banners depicted the leaders of Hamas, Hezbollah, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, men known not for their advocacy of peace, but for their orchestration of massacres.

The photo at the heart of this spectacle shows smiling women holding up a sign reading, “Death to Israel”; “Death to Zionism,” complete with bloodied handprints. This photo captures exactly what was proudly paraded at the so-called “March for Palestine” to Parliament, a march laughably framed as one to “end genocide”. Instead of a solemn stand against supposed atrocities, what do we see? Smiling women holding up a placard that screams “Death to Israel”; “Death to Zionism”, complete with the sickeningly symbolic bloodied handprints, a nod to the barbaric lynching of Israelis by Abdel-Aziz Salha. And behind them? A massive banner showcasing the so-called “Axis of Resistance”, featuring the familiar faces of those who lead Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah, groups that have repeatedly orchestrated terrorist attacks against civilians.

Slogans like “Viva Hamas” and “Viva Hezbollah” weren’t expressions of solidarity with the oppressed; they were the rallying cries of those who endorse the mass murder of Jews. All this under the pretence of protesting “genocide”. It wasn’t a march for peace or justice, it was a hate-filled celebration of terror and violence, dressed up in the morally bankrupt language of activism. The hypocrisy would be laughable if it weren’t so disgustingly dangerous.

Megan Choritz from South African Jews for a Free Palestine, a South African Jew, and self-proclaimed anti-Zionist, gave a speech on the stage. She did so in front of a massive banner emblazoned with the words, “We are all Hamas.” Her participation at this event reveals an astounding moral blindness.

Equally disturbing were the words of Nazier Paulsen of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), who brazenly declared, “We are Hamas, we are Hezbollah, we are the Houthis.” He went further, demanding the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador, who was in fact withdrawn from South Africa by Israel almost a year ago, and the prosecution of South Africans who serve in the Israel Defense Forces. He also proclaimed Israel was an illegitimate state that has no right to exist. This is a man who openly aligns himself with terror groups responsible for countless civilian deaths, and he does so without shame or reservation. It’s this showboating we South Africans have become accustomed to when it comes to the EFF.

One cannot overlook the participation of Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, the founder of Gift of the Givers, who, when given the platform, chose not to call for peace but to echo antisemitic conspiracy theories, railing against Jews and their supposed control of the world. The fact that this rhetoric, once relegated to the darkest corners of history, is now proudly broadcast in public is beyond alarming. Gift of the Givers runs a relatively large clinic in Khan Yunis called KhuzaClinic, a few kilometres from Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the hardest hit Kibbutzim on 7 October 2023. One in four residents of Nir Oz were murdered.

And what of the Muslim Judicial Council’s Sheik Riad Fataar, who whipped the crowd into a frenzy by declaring, “We are all Hamas.” This was no slip of the tongue. It was a calculated alignment with an organisation dedicated to violence, terrorism, and the destruction of the Jewish state. His words were met with thunderous applause.

The presence of PAGAD (People Against Gangsterism and Drugs), a group with a notorious history of violence including the bombing of South African synagogues like Wynberg Shul, should remove any lingering doubts about the true nature of this event. This wasn’t a protest. This was a rally celebrating hatred and terror.

Let’s not kid ourselves. This wasn’t a march for peace. This wasn’t a call for justice. This was a public glorification of those who revel in the slaughter of civilians. To disguise it in the language of human rights is not only dishonest, it’s also profoundly dangerous. The real tragedy here is that mainstream South African organisations like the Congress of South African Trade Unions and Gift of the Givers lend a thin veneer of legitimacy to this madness by associating themselves with it. By standing beside those waving Hamas and Hezbollah flags, they embolden the extremists and legitimise an agenda steeped in hatred.

The timing of this rally, on the eve of the anniversary of Hamas’s barbaric massacre of Israelis on 7 October 2023, only adds to the grotesque irony. Instead of condemning these atrocities, South African organisations march in celebration of them.

It’s time for the world to wake up to the reality of what this “March for Palestine” really is: a gathering of extremists, parading under the false flag of human rights, with the aim of sowing hatred and glorifying terror. And if we remain silent, if we continue to let this grotesque masquerade go unchallenged, we will be complicit in allowing evil to triumph.

In the words of Edmund Burke, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” It’s time for good people to stand up and expose this for what it truly is: a hate-fuelled endorsement of terror.

• Tim Flack is a seasoned communications professional with a diverse background spanning military service, media, public relations, and safety and security. He is a firearms activist, and owns the Cape Town-based public relations firm Flack Partners PR.