US President Donald Trump. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)
Pastor Martin Niemöller’s famous poem First They Came serves as an enduring warning about the consequences of silence in the face of oppression. What begins as targeted attacks on a single group does not stop there — it expands, unchallenged, until entire societies find themselves trapped under authoritarian rule. That warning is no longer a distant lesson from the past; it is the reality unfolding before us today.
Over the past two years, we have seen an aggressive rise in the global anti-rights movement, from the erosion of LGBTQ+ protections and reproductive rights to the dismantling of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Under the banner of nationalism and “traditional values”, authoritarian leaders are rolling back decades of progress while fuelling division, fear and violence.
Donald Trump’s return to power in the United States has only accelerated this decline. Within 24 hours of his inauguration, he had already signed executive orders dismantling federal DEI policies, eliminating transgender protections, withdrawing the US from the Paris Agreement on climate change and the World Health Organisation (WHO), and halting aid to the Global South.
Now, he has turned his attention to South Africa, interfering in its policies under the guise of human rights while cutting off critical development funding. His administration’s actions are not just dangerous for the US; they are emboldening anti-rights movements worldwide and creating ripple effects that will be felt for years to come.
The playbook of authoritarianism
The anti-rights movement operates with a clear strategy: first, identify a vulnerable group — whether immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, women seeking reproductive healthcare or racial minorities. Then, vilify them as a threat to society. Finally, strip them of protections, one policy at a time, while using state power to silence opposition.
We are seeing this play out in real time. In the US, the rollback of abortion rights following the repeal of Roe v Wade was just the beginning. Trump’s new executive orders go further, stripping legal protections from transgender individuals, erasing DEI programmes that promote racial and gender equality, and redefining gender to a strict male-female binary. The goal is clear: to exclude, erase and control.
South Africa is now being dragged into this global trend. Trump’s latest executive order claims to be addressing “human rights violations” in the country, citing land reform policies as a form of racial persecution. By cutting off aid and threatening economic retaliation, he is reigniting racial tensions, using a familiar far-right talking point about the so-called “genocide” of white South African farmers — a claim that has been debunked repeatedly but remains a rallying cry for white nationalist groups globally.
This is how authoritarianism spreads. It does not announce itself with tanks in the streets. It creeps in through policy, through rhetoric, through manufactured crises that justify extreme responses. It convinces people that protecting the rights of others is an attack on their own.
The Global South struggles alone
Trump’s halt on US foreign aid is another calculated move that will have devastating consequences for the Global South. The US has historically been one of the largest funders of humanitarian aid, health programmes and climate initiatives. By pulling out of the WHO and cutting development assistance, his administration is deliberately severing lifelines that millions depend on.
For Africa, the loss of US aid is particularly dire. Many health programmes funded through USAid support HIV/Aids treatment, maternal healthcare, vaccination campaigns and research. Cutting this funding will disrupt these essential services, putting lives at risk.
But this is not just about money — it is about influence. By withdrawing, Trump is ceding ground to other global powers, shifting alliances and forcing nations to make hard choices about where to turn for support.
Meanwhile, the Paris Agreement, which Trump has once again abandoned, is crucial for countries on the front lines of climate change. Africa, which contributes the least to global emissions, is among the hardest hit by rising temperatures and extreme weather. The US pulling out weakens global cooperation and reduces climate financing that vulnerable nations rely on to mitigate environmental disasters.
The price of silence
Imam Muhsin Hendricks was assassinated in South Africa this past weekend after officiating a lesbian wedding. His murder has sparked a storm of homophobic and Islamophobic vitriol online, exposing the fractures in a society that, while legally progressive, still harbours deep prejudice. Hendricks was a trailblazer, a man who fought for LGBTQ+ Muslims to have a place in their faith, and he was killed for it.
His death is not just a tragedy; it is a warning. When rights are attacked, when rhetoric becomes violence, when leaders fuel division instead of unity, lives are lost.
Hate does not stay confined to one country — it spreads. It emboldens those who would harm others.
The rise of the anti-rights movement is not an abstract political issue. It is a direct threat to people’s lives. And if history has taught us anything, it is that waiting until it reaches your doorstep is waiting too long.
Our collective duty to resist
There is no neutral ground in this fight. The erosion of rights anywhere is a threat to rights everywhere. We have a collective responsibility to push back — through advocacy, through voting, through refusing to stay silent when oppression takes hold.
Governments and civil society in the Global South must respond to these escalating threats by strengthening regional alliances, funding independent human rights initiatives and refusing to allow foreign powers to dictate their policies through coercion. The South African government must take a firm stance against Trump’s interference, making it clear that the country’s internal policies are not his to weaponise.
Internationally, resistance must be coordinated. If the US chooses to isolate itself, then it is up to other nations to step in, reinforcing global commitments to human rights, climate justice and healthcare access.
Trump’s presidency will once again test the resilience of democracy, not just in the US but worldwide. The question is whether we will meet this moment with the urgency it demands — or whether we will look back, years from now, and ask why we did nothing when the warning signs were so clear.
First they came — and we cannot afford to stay silent.
Sibahle Zuma is a human rights and development practitioner with a focus on civic freedoms, climate activism and youth participation in policy and decision-making.