POLICE ATTACK PEACEFUL VIGIL AT UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG
On Friday 13 November, the UJ Fees Must Fall Movement called a vigil to oppose ongoing brutality by police and private security, on and around campus. Repression on campus means that private security has been given a green light to threaten and intimidate students, who no longer have the right to gather in groups of more than three. In recent weeks the police have shot us, gassed us, physically and verbally abused us and arrested us. We are daily reminded of life under apartheid.
Over 400 people attended the vigil, including students, staff and parents, from Wits as well as UJ, cleaners, and concerned individuals. Several prominent figures, including former General Secretary of COSATU, Zwelinzima Vavi and Reverend Paul Verryn also joined the vigil.
An interdict is in place to prevent certain workers at UJ from gathering within or at entrances to the university. But this does not apply to students and the public. There is no legal basis to prevent students from entering the campus. Management failed to respond to a request for the vigil to be held at the main gate.
The vigil proceeded peacefully, with speeches, songs and prayers. At approximately 23h00, after many of those who came to support us had left, several students started singing and dancing closer to the gate. Although the interdict does not apply to students, the police started to physically harass students, at first using pepper spray and quickly escalating this to rubber bullets. The police fired at close range. Not satisfied with having cleared the area, they then chased people across Kingsway, firing indiscriminately. This went on for several hours.
The extent of the violence meted out on students can be seen in this clip, https://t.co/GgOIhicJng
Several students sustained serious injuries with two being taken to hospital. One remains in Milpark hospital. The police have repeatedly demonstrated that they have no understanding of how to respect a peaceful process. The manner in which they hunted down students, shooting some in the back, is a disturbing reminder of the Marikana massacre. We call for immediate action against members of the police force who endanger protestors and the general public. This incident is further proof that police brutality in this country is out of control and needs to be addressed.
The Vice Chancellor, Ihron Rensburg, has blocked every avenue for a resolution of the problems we are highlighting, instead placing a layer of heavily armed police and security guards between himself and students and workers. We therefore hold him directly responsible for continuing to abuse the criminal justice system in order to intimidate activists and protesters.
Issued by Busi Mtabane on behalf of UJ Feest Must Fall Movement, 17 November 2015
