There are still people who are intolerant of free speech: Swana

Political analyst Sandile Swana says there are still people who are intolerant of free speech in the country.

This after lobby group, AfriForum, strongly criticised the judiciary after the Constitutional Court dismissed its application for leave to appeal a ruling that the chant “Kill the Boer” did not amount to hate speech.

The group has threatened to take its legal fight against the chant overseas.

Swana says an expression does not become hate speech or illegal simply because it does not please specific people.

“We are not tolerant of free speech. So when people express their views – clear views that they disagree with us – we get irritated. The Constitution says an expression that makes you uncomfortable is not automatically illegal, is not automatically unconstitutional in South Africa.”

ConCourt dismisses Afriforum’s bid for leave to appeal the “Kill the Boer” judgment:

AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel says that their continued fight is a matter of dignity.

“This is disrespect for the dignity of Afrikaners, and we have self-respect. We’re not going to take this lying down, and that is why we will fight this with everything we have – also internationally. We’ve already instructed our legal team to look at what platforms there are, what international courts, what sections of the UN to take this further, and then, of course, we’ll also garner support from governments internationally.”