Malema posts video calling for violence against whites

A tweet in which Malema appears to endorse a controversial call for violence against white people has sparked social media outrage.

Julius Malema. Picture: EFF/Twitter

Julius Malema has caused a frenzy on social media by posting a video of Louis Farrakhan calling on black people to fight injustices by using violence against white people. He posted the clip and said: “Amen.”

Farrakhan is an American religious leader, black nationalist, activist, and social commentator. He has been controversial due to views seen to be antisemitic and racist, though he has denied this, saying the media is responsible for wrongly portraying him this way. He founded The Nation of Islam, an organisation that “encourages black nationalism in the name of Islam”.

The clip sees an emotionally charged Farrakhan saying that because white people allegedly took what they now own the only way for black people to take back the land will be through violence. He also said that such violence would be justified because white people would otherwise “extinguish” the black race.

Amen 👇🏿 pic.twitter.com/BatyrCwyQ7

— Julius Sello Malema (@Julius_S_Malema) July 8, 2018

https://twitter.com/Leon_Schreib/status/1016269157594206209

Louis Farrakhan is a religious nutcase, a hypocrite and never considered a revolutionary but moreover complicit in the assassination of Malcolm X (Malik Shabazz) … Amen se gat !

— shamiel ebrahim 🇿🇦 🇵🇸 #Palestine (@shamsur1) July 9, 2018

Lol now Julius Malema is endorsing the teachings of muslim leader Louis Farrakhan, the same person that vilified Malcolm X and ultimately lead to Malcolm X’s assassination by Muslims on the day Farrakhan made a keynote address at a mosque near where M X was executed #idiotofnote

— Niftytomato 🇺🇲🇬🇧🇿🇦🇮🇱 (@niftytomato3) July 10, 2018

Last time Malema was involved in controversy regarding a Louis, it was not the controversial religious leader but French luxury designers Louis Vuitton. In 2014, a twar erupted between Malema and Fikile Mbalula after the EFF leader was seen attending court wearing a Louis Vuitton belt.

At the time, Mbalula tweeted, “Overalls were swapped for Louis Vuitton today… that’s Julius revolution.”

By 2015, Malema had ditched the luxury brand, according to a salesperson at Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront.

“Mr Malema was a regular shopper here. There is no denying that he was often seen wearing Louis Vuitton apparel.

But he doesn’t come here any more. Louis Vuitton doesn’t fit his new image, really,” said the salesperson at the time.

Malema’s support for Farrakhan, however, sees him courting controversy not for his fashion choices but for embracing what some see as extremist views about race relations.

This is one of many similar incidences that have seen Malema subjected to social media scrutiny for expressing what some have seen as extreme views.READ MORE: Malema says he is ‘maybe’ behind farm murders

Speaking outside the Newcastle Magistrates’ Court in KwaZulu-Natal in 2016, where he was facing charges of inciting people to occupy privately owned land, he caused outrage when he said: “We are not calling for the slaughter of white people‚ at least for now.”

The EFF leader repeated this statement almost verbatim earlier this year in a June interview with Turkish television network TRT World.

Speaking about white people, Malema said: “I have never called for their killing, at least for now. I can’t guarantee the future.”

Malema’s latest controversy regarding race relations surrounds allegations levelled against him by AfriForum, after they produced video footage in which an imprisoned gang member claims he met with the EFF leader, who allegedly offered to help him murder white farmers when he gets out of jail.

When confronted about his involvement by Twitter user Arcade Hustle (@Doom_Pie), Malema answered “Maybe. Maybe not,” in a move that caused a Twitter storm at the end of June.