Protestors holding anti- war posters march on the Golden Mile Beach in Durban, as a show of support for the Ukrainian people, protesting against Russias invasion into Ukraine, and calling for the South African government to condemn the action of the Russian president Vladimir Putin. (Photo by RAJESH JANTILAL / AFP) (Photo by RAJESH JANTILAL/AFP via Getty Images)
The Russian embassy in South Africa is accusing Western media of putting out what it calls misinformation regarding its war against Ukraine.
The embassy made the accusation after protesters staged a peaceful demonstration outside its premises last Friday, calling for an end to the war. Campaigner Sibusiso Khasa, 33, who works for Amnesty International, said the Pretoria protest was aimed at promoting awareness on the arrest of anti-war marchers in Russia and taking a stance in support of Ukraine.
Khasa said South Africans should back Ukraine because other countries had stood in solidarity with them during apartheid.
As Khasa spoke, fellow protesters chanted “Things will change!” and stamped their feet, They wore T-shirts with the words “Amandla awethu (power is ours)” – a popular rallying call during the struggle against aparthed – printed on them.
“We feel that South Africa [government] should have chosen the side whereby they are … condemning first of all the invasion in Russia because it is against international law. So we expect South Africa as a signatory to these laws and for instance the United Nations Charter, South Africa should be able to voice its concerns,” he said.
While citizens and opposition parties have condemned Russia, the South African government has stuck to its guns and maintained a neutral stance on the conflict, also accusing the UN Security Council of not upholding its mandate of ensuring international peace and security.
Russian ambassador to South Africa Alexander Arefiev said media outlets were not providing complete information about the war, saying Friday’s protest was based on “slightly outdated” news about the crackdown on the anti-war marchers in Russia.
“Law is law and it cannot be broken. We cannot for sure say they were apprehended for something else related to the protest but rather some other offences giving the police reason to arrest them,” Arefiev told the Mail & Guardian.
“The desire for peace is natural. We would like to point out that the story is not as simple as Western or mainstream media try to portray it. There are reasons behind it that are much wider.”
While protesters chanted “Peace, Peace,Peace” outside the embassy, in a boardroom inside, Arefiev insisted that Moscow had not gone to war because it wanted to, or disliked peace.
“The first country begging for peace was Russia,” he said, suggesting South Africans were siding with Ukraine because they misunderstood the real reason for the invasion.
Russia has previously said it is defending itself from an invasion of its land planned by the West.
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