EFF plays race card as police fail to arrest Muizenberg protesters
'Based on previous experiences, it is clear to us that if the majority of these protesters were black they would have been arrested and shot at with grenades and water cannons by the police,' the party said.
About 500 people descended on Muizenberg beach earlier this year to protest against the beach ban during Level 3 lockdown regulations. Picture: Screengrab
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has questioned the behaviour of law enforcement and South African Police Services (SAPS) during the protests at Muizenberg and Camps Bay beaches in Western Cape.
EFF has called for law enforcement officers and the city of Cape Town to be held accountable for failure to uphold the law and make arrests as scores of people broke the Covid-19 regulations and invaded beaches while protesting the current level three national lockdown regulations.
WATCH: Protesters frolic in the shallows of Muizenberg beach
“Based on previous experiences, it is clear to us that if the majority of these protesters were black they would have been arrested and shot at with grenades and water cannons by the police and law enforcement. But because the majority are white the police did nothing.”
According to police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa, “On arrival, the police observed the situation and issued a warning to the group. Taking into account a number of variables – monitored the situation for some time from a distance.”
“After careful consideration of the situation at hand, the unit members peacefully removed the crowd from the beach with no incidents reported.”
The EFF has called this a clear dereliction of duty.
“This is a clear dereliction of duty for they failed to uphold the rule of law, thus allowed lawlessness to undermine established Covid-19 regulations,” reads the party’s statement.
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