City of Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said the police had to step in after the disruption of a peaceful prayer rally. Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Newspapers
City of Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has condemned the disruption of a planned prayer rally saying there should be tolerance of all protests.
He said the deployment of the police in Sea Point was to protect all those who wanted to protest.
Hill-Lewis said the Constitution respects the right of everyone to protest.
However, they will not allow people who deny others that right.
He said during the protest to the provincial legislature on Saturday it went off peacefully, the same right should have been extended during Sunday’s prayer rally.
A pro-Palestine group was protesting on Saturday and on Sunday a pro-Israel group was holding a prayer rally in Sea Point.
Hill-Lewis said it was the duty of the police to protect those who were protesting on Sunday as they did on Saturday.
“In the same way that tens of thousands of residents gathered on Saturday to protest peacefully, so the planned protest on Sunday should have been respected and allowed to proceed peacefully and without interference,” he said.
“It is the job of the South African Police Service and law enforcement agencies to protect that right, and the responsibility of every citizen to respect it,” Hill-Lewis said.
“Public Order policing is under the authority of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and they are in command when public disorder incidents take place. The SAPS inform us that two firearms were seized and seven people have been arrested.”
The South African Friends of Israel (SAFI) also condemned the disruption of the prayer rally in Sea Point.
It said the prayer rally was organised by the Concerned Clergy Western Cape.
It said the intervention of the SAPS was necessary “for safety concerns”.
SAFI called on the SAPS to investigate the incident.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
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