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South Africa deploys police as anti-immigrant protests prompt fears
Al Jazeera • • world
Key Points:
- Anti-immigrant protests in South African cities have led to business closures and heavy police deployment, with groups demanding undocumented foreigners leave by Tuesday amid false threats of arrest and deportation.
- The South African government has condemned these threats as false, with President Cyril Ramaphosa warning that vigilantism and violence are unacceptable forms of protest.
- Demonstrators, including working- and middle-class South Africans from various tribes, express frustration over unemployment and government inaction regarding undocumented immigrants.
- Recent protests have escalated into violence and vandalism, with police and soldiers intervening to disperse crowds; xenophobic attacks have already resulted in multiple deaths and widespread fear among foreign nationals.
- Many foreign nationals have fled or sought protection as xenophobic violence intensifies, with some African countries repatriating their citizens, while political tensions rise ahead of South Africa’s November elections.
