Asylum should be granted on race

I find it indicative of the stupidity of some of the commentators on the issue that accuse Canada of racism in their refugee policies.

Canada has a wonderful refugee programme that accepts people from all over the world and of all hues. I have known and know of numerous other nationals living as refugees in Canada. All were accepted on a case-by-case basis and never on the basis of their race alone. Some of these may have been false claims, some drain on the social system, but most settle in and work and live as Canadians. We are an immigrant nation and I know few people without recent historic memory of another place and identity.

Huntley’s claim that he was attacked seven times without police intervention and that race was a factor is not really surprising. I know a number of people who were assaulted at Umbilo police station for complaining to the police about the prostitution in the Glenwood area. They were told to go back to Europe and even beaten. I personally witnessed one such assault on a small white woman. I know that many people in Glenwood of Durban no longer bother to report crimes unless they are claiming insurance as the police do not investigate or appear to even care.

And of course crime is not always race based. The police do not seem to care about anybody regardless of race. What changes the factors in Huntley’s story is that he felt he was targeted because he was white. This is probably true as many people keep pointing out that whites are still largely in economically dominant positions. The perception that Huntley would be a worthwhile target is probably based on his race, given that 99.9% of all crimes in SA are committed by blacks and appear to be racially motivated, whether it was correct or incorrect.

Now to add to the global perception that race is all determining in the “New” South Africa think of the hateful comments being made by certain political leaders, high court judges and the fact that there are double standards in South African race politics. If a high court judge makes a racist utterance there is no appropriate response. If Malema makes wild accusations and threatens violence against whites there is no response. Couple such high profile racist remarks with the high crime and violence in South Africa is surely going to trigger race based fears among whites.

It has been pointed out that unemployment among whites is at a low of 4,6% compared to 29,7% for black South Africans. Shocking disparity, but it does not take into account the million or so white South Africans who have left South Africa often citing better job opportunities elsewhere, lack of crime and all round better standard of living. Had these million or more stayed what would be the white unemployment rate?

To deny that many whites feel persecuted in South Africa is a violent act. It affirms their fears that they do not belong in South Africa and are unwelcome here. Even if their perception is incorrect, and criminals are merely opportunists, their fears and perception should be acknowledged and dealt with. Instead they are accused of racism, told to leave South Africa and have their worst fears confirmed.

Another “fact” that is often cited is that black male South Africans are most likely to be a murder victim and black women are most likely to be sexually assaulted or raped. While these are not disputed statistics one should question the rate of murder among whites when you consider the number that live behind large electric fences, gated communities and have private security.

And yes, blacks are also attacked, just not with the same brutality. And brutality is the key word for what's happening to whites in South Africa. Many of the killings are unspeakably brutal. If you look at what [the criminals] do to their victims in these attacks, there is hatred for white people. One wheelchair-bound elderly woman was scalded with boiling water until she died. Both black and white are victims of black crime, but black crime against whites go hand in hand with such extreme violence, that it can only be described as hate crimes.

Theft is only a secondary motive in many of the killings. Sometimes the murderers take nothing at all, and even when they do take weapons or money they kill needlessly and viciously. The torture and rape of victims suggests that the attackers do not merely intend to kill the victims, but to inflict pain, humiliation and suffering. It is common for bands of blacks to attack at nightfall and torture their victims until morning.

South Africa's Whites in general have been disproportionately on the receiving end of the tidal wave of violent crime. What we see is a picture of racial harassment and persecution of the white minority who are being driven out of their land of birth altogether, by a combination of criminal, not to say terrorist, violence and 'affirmative action'.

Clearly all is not well in South Africa. The government’s lacklustre response to crime besetting everyone is appalling.

Here is the Canadian criteria straight from the Canadian Immigration website

Convention Refugee

Convention refugees are people who are outside their home country or the country where they normally live, and who are unwilling to return because of a well-founded fear of persecution based on:

• race
• religion
• political opinion
• nationality or
• membership in a particular social group, such as women or people of a particular sexual orientation.

Person in need of protection

A person in need of protection is a person in Canada whose removal to their home country or country where they normally live would subject them personally to:

• a danger of torture;
• a risk to their life; or
• a risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment.

And perhaps it will come to naught as Huntley’s claim may yet be rejected. However, it would be wrong to dismiss the claims as without any merit. As long as South Africans are defined by race the very real threat of racial injustice and discrimination against those deemed unacceptable exists.

Readers Comments

A South African man has been granted refugee status in Canada, where an immigration board found "clear and convincing proof" he was persecuted for being white.

Most IOL readers thought there was nothing wrong with applying for foreign citizenship on racial grounds.

IOL asked its readers: Is applying for foreign citizenship on racial grounds justified?

Of the 1 064 people who participated in the 65 percent (691 votes) said "Yes", and 35 percent (373 votes) said "No".

Here are some of the comments posted online:

Susan: I voted 'Yes'. Cannot understand the bleating from the ANC that the decision by Canada is racist! During the days of apartheid, many of those now in government here were afforded 'refugee status' because of their colour and political affiliation. What a load of crapiola!

Champagne: Yes it is justified. Being white in South Africa makes one a target for being attacked and reporting to the police gets a shrug of the shoulders. The attack is not criminally motivated but retribution for the past. Applying for a job gets a "don't be stupid you're white" attitude. EVERYthing in South Africa is about skin colour.

Liz: The ANC wants a country without discrimination yet they are perpetuating discrimination with BEE. People should be judged on merit, not on the colour of their skin. Well done Canada for seeing what is actually happening here.

Anonymous: Why shouldn't he seek asylum if he feels that his life is going to improve? He is entitled to a good life as we all are. Of course, more blacks are victims of crime than whites, they constitute the majority of the population of the country. We are all sick of crime, black and white alike. Colour has nothing to do with it. All decent people would like to normal, peaceful like which one can get in any 1st world country!!! Why should the government condone his citizenship of another country. If one wants to immigrate the application is made to the other country, not to the local authorities.

Marc: Is applying for foreign citizenship on racial grounds justified? Of course it is - after all, it used to be in the supposedly bad old days. Now that we have crime at least 20 times more likely to happen with nothing to stem it, with murders and unspeakable urban and rural violence rampaging on, of which 95% is completely unreported, and a host of laws deliberately calculated to sideline and disadvantage whites, it's actually way more applicable than ever before.