NSHR slams ‘hate speech’ by protesters

THE National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has strongly condemned hate speech it says emanated from a march by the Herero community to the Prime Minister’s office last week.

A demonstrator was photographed walking down Independence Avenue in the City Centre, holding a small poster reading ‘Kill all whites’. Around 200 Hereros marched through Windhoek last Wednesday, led by Paramount Chief Kuaima Riruako, to hand a petition to Prime Minister Nahas Angula in protest against Germany obtaining a seat on an extended UN Security Council and to demand reparations from Germany for the 1904-1907 genocide.The NSHR said in a statement yesterday that it supported the call for reparations, but rejected expressions that could incite violence.”Such hate expression is obviously intended to intimidate or incite violence against our own or any other whites in this country merely because of the colour of their skin, racial extraction or political affiliation,” said NSHR Executive Director Phil ya Nangoloh.He said the call to kill Germans or other white people could in itself be viewed as inciting genocide.He said such action by the Herero community could damage their negotiations for reparations.The NSHR said it suspected the poster was penned by a group calling themselves the ‘Malcolm X School Of Thought’.”We are calling upon Chief Riruako and other Herero leaders of repute to unequivocally and strongly repudiate any and all such hate expression and to distance the hitherto tolerant and proud Herero people from this hate expression now or in the future,” said Ya Nangoloh.”We also calling upon the Government, not only to apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators, but also to denounce the hate expression.This incident is likely to have a negative effect on our tourism industry, as most of our tourists are white,” said the NSHR spokesperson Dorkas Phillemon.Around 200 Hereros marched through Windhoek last Wednesday, led by Paramount Chief Kuaima Riruako, to hand a petition to Prime Minister Nahas Angula in protest against Germany obtaining a seat on an extended UN Security Council and to demand reparations from Germany for the 1904-1907 genocide.The NSHR said in a statement yesterday that it supported the call for reparations, but rejected expressions that could incite violence.”Such hate expression is obviously intended to intimidate or incite violence against our own or any other whites in this country merely because of the colour of their skin, racial extraction or political affiliation,” said NSHR Executive Director Phil ya Nangoloh.He said the call to kill Germans or other white people could in itself be viewed as inciting genocide.He said such action by the Herero community could damage their negotiations for reparations.The NSHR said it suspected the poster was penned by a group calling themselves the ‘Malcolm X School Of Thought’.”We are calling upon Chief Riruako and other Herero leaders of repute to unequivocally and strongly repudiate any and all such hate expression and to distance the hitherto tolerant and proud Herero people from this hate expression now or in the future,” said Ya Nangoloh.”We also calling upon the Government, not only to apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators, but also to denounce the hate expression.This incident is likely to have a negative effect on our tourism industry, as most of our tourists are white,” said the NSHR spokesperson Dorkas Phillemon.