A Cape Town journalist covering the protest outside the Western Cape High Court, as Cape Union Mart seeks an interdict against Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), was assaulted by a pro-Israeli protester.
Outside the court, in Keerom Street, pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protesters have aired their views as the case remains ongoing in court.
However, on Wednesday, things turned ugly when a protester turned on a journalist and assaulted him in full view of police officers.
Anwar Omar, a journalist at Muslim Views, was assaulted by a member of the South African Friends of Israel (SAFI).
In video footage shot by Omar, he is shooting the protests, and suddenly a man is seen charging at him and punching him.
Soon, chaos erupts as pro-Palestinian supporters rush to Omar’s aid, and police standing feet away attempt to intervene.
While a voice can be heard loudly from a speaker, one can also hear Omar continuously telling police: “I am a journalist, I am a journalist”. A police officer walking away responds: “He mustn’t do that”. To which Omar can again be heard saying: “He assaulted me. He assaulted me”.
Speaking to IOL, Omar, an experienced journalist with permission from the high court to cover the case, filming and images included, said the assault was not random at all.
“When I came there, two factions were demonstrating on either side. I engaged to take pictures and film on either side. I did my best to avoid him (perpetrator); he was pushing and shoving right towards me,” Omar explains.
The perpetrator then went up to the police stationed at the protest, claiming Omar was not a journalist.
“I think it was racial profiling. I didn’t have any Palestinian paraphernalia, so he assumed I was factionalised. He approached the policeman and said I am not a journalist. I have footage. I showed the police officer my press card in his presence, and the officer told me to go on doing my job,” Omar said.
As he went about doing his job, Omar said the perpetrator continued to push towards him.
“He continued to push and shove towards me, and I continued trying to avoid him. He then punched me in the face. He knew exactly what he was doing,” he said.
Omar also said he will be following through with a criminal case.
“I will be following through with the case. It is not about me; this is about our profession. We cannot allow this to happen in this day and age in South Africa. We have fought too hard for press freedom. If I leave this, I will not be doing justice to the profession,” Omar told IOL.
The Cape Town Ulama Board (CTUB) condemned what it called a targeted assault on media freedom.
“The CTUB expresses its deep alarm and strongest condemnation regarding a highly volatile incident that transpired outside the court. An individual from the counter-protest group supporting Israel targeted, harassed, and physically abused a member of the media who was executing their professional duties to cover the public proceedings. Reports from the ground suggest that this specific perpetrator is allegedly the leader of a pro-Israeli organisation,” it said.
The CTUB said this physical assault on a journalist is not being viewed as an isolated scuffle, but as an overt, heavy-handed attempt to suppress press freedom and hide the realities of the public square.
“It mirrors the exact silencing tactics being attempted inside the courtroom. We demand that law enforcement authorities investigate this individual immediately, verify their institutional standing, and hold them legally accountable for the safety of media personnel and peaceful demonstrators,” the CTUB said.
Omar filed charges of assault at the Cape Town Central Police Station.
The provincial police spokesperson, Captain Frederick van Wyk, confirmed a case of grievous bodily harm (GBH) has been registered for investigation.
“According to reports, on Wednesday, at 10.40am, the complainant was performing his journalism duties outside the Western Cape High Court in Keerom Street, Cape Town, whereby two opposing factions were demonstrating,” van Wyk said.
The perpetrator is alleged to have claimed Omar was not a journalist.
“The suspect, who was one of the protesters, accused the complainant of not being a journalist. The suspect went on to complain about the complainant’s credentials. The complainant took videos and photos as per his duties. The suspect continued to harass the complainant, trying to prevent him from performing his journalism duties. Suspect then deliberately punched complainant on the face with either an elbow or fist, which resulted in a cut above complainant’s right eye. The case was then reported at Cape Town Central SAPS. Investigations continue, no arrest yet,” van Wyk said.
Cape Union Mart is back in the Western Cape High Court as it brings an application for an interdict to restrain local organisation PSC from labelling it as supporting genocide.
This comes after the PSC allegedly held protests outside and near Cape Union Mart stores across the country.
The retailer has been accused by the PSC on numerous occasions of “supporting genocide”, in reference to what the group describes as the ongoing genocide in Gaza, involving the continued killing of Palestinians by Israel.
IOL reached out to the South African Friends of Israel (SAFI) for comment but did not get any feedback by time of publication.
IOL
Robin-Lee Francke
iol.co.za