Punish the racist Lindsay Maasdorp, not the BLF

There is a time when freedom of speech is not absolute and nor is it guaranteed. When anger transforms itself into hate speech, then a critical moral boundary has been crossed.

We agree with the DA Youth that Black First Land First (BLF) official Lindsay Maasdorp was disdainful for the loss of life at Hoërskool Driehoek in Vanderbijlpark – where four teenagers died in the collapse of a concrete walkway on Friday morning.

Maasdorp tweeted that the tragedy – in which only white pupils died – should be celebrated because it showed “God is listening”.

We agree that the issue should be taken up with the SA Human Rights Commission, because Maasdorp and his ilk are vile people. They should be punished for saying such evil and hurtful things.

However, we do not believe that the BLF should be prohibited from running in the upcoming election, as the DA Youth has asked the Independent Electoral Commission to do.

The country needs to see how far these racist reactionaries manage to go in the world of real politics. We hope – and believe – it will not be far.

However, it is also important to know how deep this hatred runs and how many share Maasdorp’s sentiments.

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