S’Africa’s Julius Malema Found Guilty of Hate Speech Over 2022 Rally Remarks

South African opposition leader, Julius Malema, has been found guilty of hate speech by the country’s equality court over remarks made during a 2022 rally, a ruling that has reignited debate over race, politics, and free expression in the post-apartheid nation.

The leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), made the comments after an alleged assault on an EFF supporter by a white man. At the rally, he declared:

“No white man is going to beat me up… you must never be scared to kill. A revolution demands that at some point, there must be killing.”

The court ruled that Malema’s remarks “demonstrated an intent to incite harm.” It stated:

“Whilst calling out someone who behaves as a racist may be acceptable, calling for them to be killed is not. And calling for someone to be killed because they are a racist who has acted violently is an act of vigilantism and an incitement of the most extreme form of harm possible.”

The case was initiated by the South African Human Rights Commission and a private complainant who said they felt threatened by the comments.

The EFF, however, rejected the verdict, calling it a deliberate misinterpretation of Malema’s rhetoric:

“The ruling is fundamentally flawed and deliberately misreads both the context and meaning of the speech. It assumes that the reasonable listener is incapable of understanding metaphor, revolutionary rhetoric, or the history of liberation struggles.”

Malema, 44, has long been a polarising figure in South African politics. While his party placed fourth in last year’s parliamentary elections, his fiery speeches often spark controversy in a country still grappling with deep racial divides more than three decades after apartheid.

His rhetoric has also drawn international scrutiny. In June, the UK Home Office denied him entry, citing his support for Hamas and previous statements perceived as endorsing violence against white South Africans.