South African Police Clash with Anti-Racism Protesters in Cape Town

Police Clash with Protesters

South African police fired tear gas and water cannons at hundreds of members of the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party on Friday at the Brackenfell High School in Cape Town.

The latest in a string of demonstrations since a whites-only year-end dance party was held in October on school grounds, the activists marched in protest of alleged racism.

Days after the exclusive party, video footage widely shared on social media on November 9 showed angry white parents of students physically assaulting black EFF demonstrators staging protests on the streets.

Lingering Historical Trauma

The racially-charged clash saw South African President Cyril Ramaphosa call for a probe into the incident which he described as "deeply regrettable” — as although the white supremacist oppressive regime of apartheid ended on paper in the early 1990s, its lingering effects still see both racially unequal institutional challenges and racially-motivated social division in the country