Hundreds of white South Africans gathered in front of the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria today to show support for U.S. President Donald Trump, who claims they are victims of racism by the South African government.
The demonstrators carried signs reading “Thank God for President Trump” and criticized laws introduced by the black-majority South African government, which they believe discriminate against the white minority.
Trump recently signed an executive order reducing aid to South Africa, citing a new law that allows the government to seize private land from white farmers. He has also proposed granting refugee status to Afrikaners, descendants of Dutch colonial settlers.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa responded, stating that forced removal of any ethnic group from the country would never happen again, emphasizing the historical injustices under apartheid and colonialism. He defended the land reform law, saying it is aimed at redressing historical inequalities and is not racially motivated.
The criticism of the law has sparked a longstanding debate in South Africa over how to address the legacy of white minority rule that oppressed the black majority. The government’s land reform policy aims to reduce social inequality, with most agricultural land still owned by whites, despite them comprising only 7% of the population.
