Opinion: Defending #ShashiNaidoo’s Gaza Comments in the Name of Free Speech

When Free Speech is counter-attacked by intense scrutiny, intimidations and death threats because of unpopular views, we should all be concerned as that’s not how Constitutional democracy operates, write Neo Nino Mofokeng.

Shashi Naidoo is yet another high profile South African who has been scrutinised, viciously attacked by the popular left and in the extreme, even faced intimidations and death threats over her views which are not popular.

Shashi joins a list of other prominent South Africans who were similarly attacked – including the Western Cape Premier Helen Zille over her Tweets that mentioned colonialism not being all bad; and the Johannesburg MMC, Dr Mpho Phalatse over her pro-Israel comments which subsequently led to her suspension by the Joburg Mayor.

Shashi Naidoo, a media personality and celebrity model, has been attacked for mentioning the rogue dictatorial leadership of the Hamas militants, an internationally recognised “terrorist organisation” that runs the Gaza Strip.

Like in any other “mature” democracy which respects and values Free Speech and Free Expression – both of which are a foundation of any free society – we should defend Zille, Phalatse and Naidoo’s rights to Free Expression… even if we don’t agree with their views, or even when their views are not popular.

Naidoo’s Instagram comments about Gaza were not worth deserving the death threats and intimidation she received as that undermines the Freedoms – such as Freedom of Speech and expression – that are embraced in Section 16 of our Constitution.

In an Instagram post Naidoo expressed how Gaza is run by Hamas terror militants and claimed that rather than using the millions of dollars of aid it receives, it builds terror tunnels into Israel and bombs Israeli civilians.

On Wednesday, in what seemed to be a PR make up after Naidoo lost many of her sponsors due to the negative publicity generated by her critical comments on Gaza, she said her comments had been copied and pasted from a friend.

Naidoo held the press briefing with an anti-Israel, anti-semitic lobby group, BDS South Africa, in which she apologised for her statements.

She then mentioned her interest in visiting Gaza in order to have a firsthand life experience of life in the Strip.

Naidoo’s press briefing came hours after 45 rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel by the Hamas militants, in the early hours of Wednesday.

Which brings us to question the factuality of Naidoo’s comments and her initial criticism of Hamas and Gaza.

The thought that Naidoo was threatened, and that she even faced death threats should concern us all about the possibility of Extremism which exists in South Africa… and that uses death threats on anyone who has opposing views; and in this instance, anyone opposing the Jihadist Hamas rule of the Gaza strip.

There is nothing wrong with what Naidoo mentioned about Gaza and Hamas that violates the exceptional clauses as far as Free Speech is concerned in our Constitution, but everything wrong with the intolerant attacks about her views, and the death threats that she experienced.

Naidoo’s comments should unlock the need to have fair and truthful conversation about Gaza, Hamas and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and ways in which South Africans, as part of a family of sovereign nations, including our government, should come up with ways of mediation and solutions for the sensitive Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

By Neo Nino Mofokeng.

https://twitter.com/KINGAya_/status/1008082387903885312

All opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of SAPeople.