Cape Town - Civil rights organisation AfriForum on Thursday came out in condemnation of activist Dan Roodt over comments he made in a clip on US comedy series The Daily Show four years ago.
The group said Roodt’s comments on the show, in a clip titled The Amazing Racists, were racist.
In the clip Roodt is interviewed by John Oliver who satirically says Roodt’s statements are “some of the finest examples of vintage bigotry”.
Roodt says the clip, made during the 2010 World Cup, has only just come to his attention.
Roodt says he plans on suing The Daily Show producers and Daily Maverick reporter Rebecca Davis for sharing the video which he calls slander. He says he might sue for R100m or R1bn.
He told Radio 786 that the producers twisted his words and edited the clip to make it sound as if he had said yes to some questions to which he had actually said no.
“It is unfortunate that the actions of a small fringe group are often exploited in an effort to portray Afrikaners in a bad light,” said AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel.
“AfriForum cannot stand idly by and watch Afrikaners’ reasonable claims being ridiculed because of the racist comments of fringe figures like Roodt,” Kriel said.
Kriel emphasised that AfriForum believes in the promotion of mutual recognition and respect amongst South African communities.
“Just as AfriForum does not hesitate to take a stand against the racism that black people like Julius Malema utters against whites, AfriForum will not stand for racist statements by white fringe figures,” Kriel added.
Kriel says it is important that the world should know that the vast majority of Afrikaners are not racist bullies, but a group with reasonable claims for a better future, based on internationally recognised rights.
Roodt responded to AfriForum’s statement on Twitter, calling them “absurd” and that they stand with The Daily Show.
See the clip here:
The Daily Show - The Amazing Racists from Timothy Greenberg on Vimeo.
