PRESS STATEMENT:
Over 150 Former International Anti-Apartheid activists call on the ANC to boycott Israel
 
26 October 2012
 
At the opening plenary of the ANC's 3rd International Solidarity Conference (26-28 October), former Dutch anti-apartheid activist, Adri Nieuwhof, presented a statement on behalf of over 150 former international anti-apartheid activists to the ANC (find full statement here: http://tinyurl.com/9t33x27). The call has the support of signatories from more than 19 countries, belonging to over 35 organizations. It also has the backing of long-time international ANC supporters such as E.S. Reddy, Alice Walker, Victorian Britain and Prexy Nesbitt.

The statement begins: 
 
"We supported the ANC and the people of South Africa in their fight for liberation and against apartheid by mobilizing support for boycott, divestment and sanctions against the South African apartheid regime. We succeeded to put the crime of apartheid on the agenda of political parties, trade unions, churches…and concerned citizens. We called on people not to buy apartheid products and we discouraged tourism to the country. We campaigned for a weapons embargo, an oil embargo, a Krugerrand boycott, a sports, academic and cultaural boycott."
 
The former international anti-apartheid activists then go on to express their "deep concern" regarding Israel's ongoing violations of the rights of the Palestinian people with "total impunity".

The statement by the former international activists specifically calls on the ANC to explicitly support the Palestinian boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel campaign:
 
"On the occasion of the 3rd ANC International Solidarity Conference, we call on the ANC to support the Palestinian people in their fight for freedom, justice and equality....We call on the ANC to support the Palestinian call for boycott, divestment and sanction (BDS) as expression of the party's solidarity with the struggle of the Palestinian people to enjoy their rights."
 
Nieuwhof commented after presenting the statement on behalf of her international anti-apartheid counterparts: "We once galvanized world opinion against Apartheid South Africa, the time is to now galvanize world opinion against Apartheid Israel. I am confident that the ANC will heed our call."

Signatories to the call include the former United Nations Centre Against Apartheid director, E.S. Reddy; Prexy Nesbitt of the World Council of Churches Program to Combat Racism; the acclaimed author and US civil rights activist, Alice Walker; Mireille Fanon, the daughter of Frantz Fanon and the current President of the Fanon Foundation; Victoria Britian from the UK Anti-Apartheid Movement and Kate Gilford of the Mozambique Angola Guinea Bissau Information Committee.
 
BDS South Africa salutes the former international anti-apartheid activists who have made this call to the ANC and are encouraged by their consistency - they once supported the oppressed South African people and now the oppressed Palestinians.
 
The ANC's 3rd International Solidarity Conference is taking place this weekend in Pretoria and will conclude on Sunday the 28th of October.
 
ISSUED BY MUHAMMED DESAI ON BEHALF OF BDS SOUTH AFRICA 

BOYCOTT, DIVESTMENT AND SANCTIONS in SOUTH AFRICA (BDS SOUTH AFRICA)
Office 915 | 9th Floor | Khotso House | 62 Marshall Street | Johannesburg
PO Box 2318 | Houghton | 2041 | Johannesburg
T: +27 (0) 11 492 2414 | M: +27 (0) 84 211 9988 | F: +27 (0) 86 650 4836
W: www.bdssouthafrica.com | E: administrator@bdssouthafrica.com
www.facebook.com/bdssouthafrica | www.twitter.com/bdssouthafrica

BDS South Africa is a registered Non-Profit Organization. NPO NUMBER: 084 306 NPO
BDS South Africa is a registered Public Benefit Organisation with Section 18A status. PBO NUMBER: 930 037 446