Not only white students racist

2008-03-05 18:23

Johannesburg - Black University of the Free State students who made racist remarks against other students were no better than the white students who made the Reitz video, the SA Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) said on Wednesday.

SAIRR political researcher and spokesperson, Hannah Botsis, said the university should act against all students responsible for racist behaviour.

The institute condemned reports of intimidation of white students by their black colleagues.

"If we are to stamp out racism on campuses around the country, then we need to act against racist behaviour wherever it emanates from," Botsis said.

Threats unacceptable

This follows reports that some black students had intimidated white students at random and threatened to rape white female students on the campus.

Such threats were unnecessary, unfortunate and unacceptable considering the largely unanimous condemnation of recent racist behaviour by particular white students on the campus, the institute said.

"A number of groups representing the white, Afrikaner community had publicly condemned the Kovsies video," Botsis said.

The institute will now monitor whether groups claiming to represent elements of the black community would also condemn racist behaviour.

SAIRR deputy chief executive, Frans Cronje, said: "Students resorting to racist threats should realise that, through their behaviour, they do not appear to be much better than those who made the now infamous Kovsies video."

Tensions have been high on the Bloemfontein campus since the video featuring black university employees on their knees eating food which had purportedly been urinated on by a white student surfaced.

The short film depicts a mock initiation of five black staff members into hostel activities and refers to the university's diversity policy for campus residences which was announced in 2007.

- SAPA