Foreigners get refuge in Cape Town church
Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) – Hundreds of foreign nationals are camping in Cape Town's Central Methodist Church after police fired stun grenades to remove them from their camp outside the offices of the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) on Wednesday.
The protesters, who are all from other African countries, have asked to be evacuated from the country following a recent wave of xenophobic violence.
Although that violence occurred in Johannesburg and Pretoria last month and was quickly contained, Cape Town-based foreigners say they feel “unwelcome and unsafe”.
Several people were injured after heavily armed police moved in to “clear the area”, which is located near shops and businesses. The police said they had secured a court order and were “obligated to support its execution by the sheriff”.
The refugees have been assisted by Reverend Alan Storey, who stood between them and a water cannon which was intended to disperse them. The protesters had been staging the sit-in for the past three weeks..
The South African Human Rights Commission has visited several refugees who have been detained at the Cape Town Central police station.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International has called on the South African Police Service (SAPS) to exercise restraint when dealing with protesters.
“The use of rubber bullets and stun grenades was unnecessary and clearly exacerbated the situation. In addition, we are concerned that these methods were used while there were children present, and this may have caused trauma and injury to them. The authorities are the duty bearers and must urgently find alternative, and safer, ways of dealing with crowds,” said Shenilla Mohamed, Executive Director of Amnesty International South Africa.
-0- PANA CU/MA 31Oct2019
