16 Nov 2020 - The YouTube thumbnail of a video by David Scott aka The Kiffness "exploring the parallels between Hitler & Malema’s rise to power " | Image: Twitter
In response to the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) descending on Brackenfell High School in the Western Cape, in protest of alleged racism at the school, The Kiffness’ David Scott described the protest as “foolish”.
The EFF’s protest followed reports of a whites-only private function held at the school but Scott said: “A political party that tries to control what you do in your private capacity is not a political party, but a terrorist organisation.”
He spoke to The Citizen after a recent YouTube video, wherein he compared EFF leader Julius Malema to Adolf Hitler – went viral and caused social media users to express their outrage at the comparison.
Scott said his motive for posting the video was to simply warn fellow South Africans, the government, and the SA Human Rights (SAHRC) about the dangers of allowing someone like Malema and the EFF to continue on the path they were on.
“It pains me to know that if my tax money was spent correctly, a lot of the suffering we see today could be avoided.
“I believe it’s in our government and the EFF’s interest to keep the masses uninformed and uneducated, because if they knew the truth about the ANC and the EFF’s agenda, the uneducated masses wouldn’t keep voting them into power,” he said.
Scott’s comparison was similar to the DA’s analogy of the EFF’s protest outside Brackenfell High School.
The Citizen reported that police fired teargas, stun grenades and used a water cannon, and eight EFF members were also arrested on the day of the protest.
In response to questions surrounding the furore his video prompted, Scott said he was comparing Hitler and Malema’s rise to power, and not Malema and Hitler’s behaviour while in power.
“In other words, I was comparing the two men in relation to the context of their positions at the time i.e. in Hitler’s context, pre-Holocaust.”
He said it would be foolish to compare Malema to the man who was responsible for the death of millions of people, but that similarities in their means of appealing to supporters were difficult to miss.
“In the same way that Hitler blamed Jewish people for Germany’s problems, it’s far easier to keep blaming white people for all the problems in South Africa. By creating a common enemy, Malema is able to unite uninformed followers to gain power.”
Scott said this comparison was not a new one, and had been drawn several times in the past, but that the similarities had become much more apparent in recent months.
“In Hitler’s rise to power, it would be illogical to say that he oppressed Jewish people, but it would be fair to say that he used hate speech, incitement to violence & propaganda to dehumanise Jewish people, which would then later on lead to mass oppression.
“In the same way, it is clear to me and many others that Malema has made South Africa’s white minority the scapegoat of a much bigger, complex issue through the same mediums: hate speech, incitement to violence & propaganda.”
Music band, The Kiffness, is the brainchild of David Scott and has had success in the South African music industry, racking up a total of three South African Music Awards nominations and 10 singles playlisted across national radio stations – all of which have reached top 10 status in the top 40 charts.
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