Mandla Mandela takes hate global

In March 2022, Nkosi Zwelivelile “Mandla” Mandela blamed Israel for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, referring to “the apartheid Israel dogs of war” and saying that the “Zionist lobbying machine” has “wormed itself into our structures overtly and covertly”, following which local and international antisemitism experts deemed him antisemitic.

Now, Nelson Mandela’s grandson has spread his hatred worldwide on the “Nakba 75 Tour”, which took place from 15 to 20 May in the United States. At the events, he hoisted a sign saying “75 years of Palestinian resistance to settler-colonial Zionist terror”.

He was hosted by the US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, and local partners as the tour’s keynote speaker. Many of the host organisations have been linked to terrorist organisations.

“Just like his grandfather, Chief Mandela is unabashed in his support for the Palestinian people, an advocate and fighter for justice for oppressed people across the world, and speaks regularly about Palestinian liberation and resistance to Zionist settler-colonialism at conferences, rallies, and other events across the world,” they said.

However, ACT-IL, an online community combatting antisemitism and standing up for Israel, fought back, especially when it noticed that one of Mandela’s speaking venues was the auditorium of the Santa Ana High School in Orange County, California.

“Mandla Mandela has a history of engaging in antisemitic tropes and militant anti-Israel rhetoric. The event is being organised by terror-linked organisations that promote biased narratives and discrimination against Jews and Israel, such as the Palestinian Youth Movement [PYM] and the USPCN,” ACT-IL said. It called on supporters to write to Santa Ana High School’s senior administration to demand that it cancel the event.

In a letter to the school, youth movement Club Z’s director and founder, Masha Merkulova, said “[The event] promotes hateful, antisemitic rhetoric and indoctrination. Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela has a history of sharing antisemitic tropes and militant anti-Israel rhetoric. I understand that your school is renting space to this group, but I must ask: would Santa Ana High School rent space to neo-Nazis?”

However, the event went ahead, along with Mandela’s appearances in Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Cleveland, San Francisco, and Chicago. Advertisements for the events showed the younger Mandela in a keffiyeh, contrasted with images of his grandfather.

The University of Minnesota cancelled Mandela’s speaking engagement on its campus, citing security concerns. It was then moved to another venue in that city. “Threats from white supremacists aren’t a reason to deny Minnesotans the opportunity to hear from Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela,” said Meredith Abby of the Anti-War Committee, one of the hosts.

Local Cleveland press reported that “Mandela drew parallels between the successful movement to overturn apartheid in South Africa and the ongoing resistance to Zionist apartheid in occupied Palestine, along with struggles in the US against the oppression of African-American and indigenous people. The crowd applauded Mandela throughout his talk, including when he declared, ‘Today South Africa, tomorrow Palestine!’”

In Milwaukee, more than 250 people attended the event, which included a number of speeches. Ashley Hudson from Madison for Palestine spoke of how “Zionism impacts the government, institutions, and society, and how they have struggled against it in their city,” according to the extreme left Fightback! News [FBN].

“Rounding out the event was Zwelivelile himself, who illustrated the similarities and comradery between the South African anti-apartheid movement and the Palestinian liberation movement,” wrote FBN. “He called for the right to return, echoed support for the Palestinian resistance, and talked about strategies that worked in fighting apartheid South Africa and how these can be incorporated by local activists and community members in combatting police brutality in the US and the illegitimate state of Israel today.”

In an interview with Iranian state-owned news network Press TV during his US tour, Mandela said that during apartheid, the people of South Africa “took inspiration from the heroic resistance of Palestinians in their struggle for liberation”.

He also spoke about “attempts to intensify the infiltration” of pro-Palestinian movements in South Africa, including the African National Congress. “We can no longer tolerate governments that on one hand pledge full support to the Palestinian people and on the other side give free visas to Zionists coming from apartheid Israel to South Africa. Yet our brothers and comrades in Palestine are subjected to visas in South Africa. These are the double standards that we call out our government on,” he said.

“Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela’s participation in the ‘Mandela Nakba 75 Tour’ across six cities in the United States is an unfortunate attempt to leverage the globally renowned Mandela name towards mendacious ends,” says South African Zionist Federation National Chairperson Rowan Polovin.

“It’s regrettable that he allows the Mandela name to be attached to the antisemitic Boycott Divestment Sanctions movement instead of using it to encourage Palestinians to take a path towards peace. His role at these events is as bewildering as its sponsors, which include a vape shop, Jiu Jitsu centre, and antisemitic conspiracy theorist film director Sabry Wazwaz – who has also made calls for an intifada in the past.”

According to Middle East analyst David Lange, “Mandela isn’t the only one associated with this tour associated with highly disturbing views and rhetoric. One of the sponsors, PYM, has an extensive track record in expressing explicit support for terrorists and terror activities against Israel, frequently publishing posts in support of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives, and referring to their casualties as ‘martyrs.’ PYM has also expressed support for the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers, and explicitly denies Israel’s right to exist.

“Then there’s the USPCN, whose founders and members have been linked to US-designated terror groups such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). For example, a May 2022 Facebook post describes convicted PFLP terrorist bomber Rasmeah Odeh as one of USPCN’s ‘founding members’.”

The Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression called on people to attend the event in their city, saying “you’ll not find this analysis in coverage from mainstream media, distorted as it is by the capitalist interests that control it”. This is aligned with Mandela’s own antisemitic statements.

Dr Günther Jikeli, the Erna B Rosenfeld associate professor at the Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism at Indiana University, told the SA Jewish Report that Mandela’s antisemitic statements “show strong indications of an irrational and antisemitic mindset that demonises Israel and accuses Israel and the ‘Zionist lobby’ – often a codeword for Jews – of conspiring against Africa, the African people, and the world.

“Mandela uses language such as ‘dogs of war’ and ‘spreading tentacles’ that the Nazis used when they demonised Jews. It’s also concerning because it shows that a leading figure in South Africa has lost any touch with reality, and sees the world as a conspiracy fantasy. And it’s sad that Mandla Mandela uses his prominent name to spread such antisemitic language.”