JOHANNESBURG, June 16 — More than 120 South African organizations have backed a national campaign against xenophobia, calling for unity and collective action amid rising anti-migrant sentiment.
In a statement released Monday, the organizations said the campaign seeks to confront what they described as a rising tide of “xenophobia, Afrophobia, ethnic chauvinism, right-wing reaction and organized hate” in South Africa. The statement listed 129 endorsing organizations, including community organizations, trade unions, civil society formations, social movements, migrant groups and rights organizations. The organizations said the campaign emerged from the urgent need to confront xenophobia and related forms of intimidation, defend working-class unity and redirect public anger toward the real causes of South Africa’s social crisis. “Xenophobia, Afrophobia, ethnic chauvinism and vigilante politics offer no way out,” the statement said. “They will not create jobs, reopen factories, fix municipalities, end austerity or hold the powerful to account.”
The organizations expressed concern over escalating threats against migrants and vulnerable communities, including threats of coordinated action by right-wing and xenophobic formations around June 30. They also warned against organized street intimidation, online hate campaigns, vigilante activity and the increasing normalization of hateful anti-migrant politics in public discourse. The statement urged public leaders and the media to stop legitimizing xenophobic narratives and vigilante politics as “community activism,” saying public debate should be grounded in facts, accountability and human dignity. South Africa has seen escalated anti-immigration protests over migration in recent months, fueled by concerns over unemployment, pressure on public services and border management.
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