The African National Congress (ANC) in the Western Cape said it will be engaging the minister of police on the deployment of the South African Police Service at Sea Point on Sunday. The party plans to request details on the deployment, particularly on what motivated the deployment to the area.

This comes after violence erupted on the Promenade during a planned peaceful prayer in support of Israel. Pro-Palestine protestors descended on the group, disrupting the planned gathering. Video footage of the event shows some in the pro-Palestine grouping getting agitated with police. After some pushing and shoving, public order police used stun grenades and a water cannon to disperse the crowd.

[SOUTH AFRICA] South African Police and Law Enforcement officials preventing #Palestine supporters from getting close and engaging with #Israel supporters in Sea Point, Cape Town. pic.twitter.com/CVJf6IAwXl

— Athi Mtongana (@AthiMtongana) November 12, 2023

ANC Provincial Spokesperson Muhammad Khalid Sayed says the DA and its leaders are justifying apartheid and hate-filled thinking in the province.

“Law enforcement officers, en masse, were used to defend White privilege in Sea Point because we have simply never seen such deployments to the Cape Flats and our locations, where they are truly needed.”

At the same time, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says the violence on the Sea Point Promenade, against a planned peaceful prayer gathering in support of Israel, deserves to be condemned. Hill-Lewis says while people are allowed to disagree with one another, this does not mean shutting down another group’s freedom of expression.

MPP Sayed on the other hand, slapped back the mayor saying the rights to freedom of speech and freedom of expression have limitations according to the country’s constitution.

“Through this justification and defence of such hatred, especially towards Palestinians among others, the Western Cape has become an enclave of the most racist bigots in our country,” added Provincial ANC Spokesperson Muhammad Khalid Sayed

In a statement, the ANC in the province said it will continue to engage partner organizations to ensure that the plight of the people of Palestine remains heard.

“We will continue to demand that more police resources as well as law enforcement be allocated to the areas that truly need them.”