South Africa deploys thousands of police as anti-immigrant protests kill 4

Key Points:

• Large-scale protests against illegal immigration erupted across multiple South African cities, involving thousands of mostly poor or unemployed South Africans demanding the removal of all illegal migrants by a June 30 deadline.
• The unrest has led to violent clashes, looting, and vandalism, resulting in at least four deaths, widespread property damage, and the displacement of many foreign nationals, including reports of evictions and migrants sleeping on the streets.
• Police deployed thousands of officers nationwide and used rubber bullets to disperse crowds, with the military placed on standby amid escalating tensions and sporadic gunfire in some areas.
• The "March and March" group, a key organizer of the protests, denied responsibility for spontaneous violence during demonstrations and plans to continue weekly marches until their demands are met, despite government rejection of the deadline.
• South Africa, despite a high unemployment rate, remains Africa's largest economy and hosts about 3 million immigrants (around 4% of the population), contributing to ongoing tensions over jobs and crime rates linked to migration.