An event hosted by the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) in Stellenbosch went ahead despite requests featured in two media publications to ban the talks.
Two speeches were delivered by the CEO of the IRR, Frans Cronje and columnist for Politicsweb, David Bullard. The event took place at Pulp Cinema in the Neelsie.
Cronje set forth his speech by referring to a letter posted by Charl Linde, the communications officer of Stellenbosch University’s transformation office, that was published in both the Business Day and the Cape Argus.
In the letter, Linde called on the university to “urgently step in and cancel the event due to be held.” The letter was posted on 12 March and 13 March, respectively. The event was held on 13 March.
The letter further accused the IRR event of “an exercise in desperate white-fear mongering.”
Frans Cronje speaking at the IRR event. PHOTO: Liezl Human
Cronje’s response to this letter called attention to the threat of suppressing freedom of speech and opinion.
He quotes from an article written for The Citizen by the IRR’s head of media, Michael Morris, which states: “It’s not ideas that threaten us, but the invers: the shutting down of conversations that preserve openness and independent-mindedness.”
There was also an outcry against the event’s announcement on Twitter. Linde also commented on the fact that the IRR decided to give controversial columnist, David Bullard, a platform to speak.
Linde said in his letter that “[i]t is unacceptable to think any institution of higher learning would welcome such a character onto its campus.”
MatieMedia could not reach Linde for further comment.
Bullard was fired from his job as a columnist for the Sunday Times in 2008 for a piece he wrote that was deemed racist. He, however, did not speak for very long during the event; save for some jokes and cheeky comments on the corrupt government.
During the event, the Pulp movie theatre seemed completely full and some people sat on the steps in the aisle.
A “Q&A” session was held after Cronje’s speech and many in the audience were given an opportunity to ask him questions.
These questions ranged from the ANC’s National Democratic Revolution, the possibility of a “full capital strike” or tax boycott, to the manners in which the IRR collects data and conducts research.
In speaking to MatieMedia, Morris states that the IRR does not automatically endorse Bullard by merely giving him a platform for discussion.
“That he might be controversial or unpopular is not a good reason to silence him. If people disagree with him, they are free to engage him in debate. Our conviction is that it is important not only to demonstrate that such debate is possible and necessary, but to provide the opportunity for it to occur,” says Morris.
David Bullard during his speech at Pulp Cinema. PHOTO: Liezl Human
These are also sentiments which were deliberated during the event, as it reiterates the IRR’s commitment to classical liberalism and freedom of speech.
With regards to the letter which implored the university to cancel the event, Morris comments that, “legitimately sounding the alarm about a country’s genuine fears is not ‘fear-mongering’, but an authentic civic duty. The liberal argument is: let even the fear-mongers speak, and if they are wrong, let their ideas be defeated.”
The IRR, established in 1929, is a “think-tank” which focuses primarily on civil liberties and decentralised state policies.
During his speech, Cronje focused on the declining state of our country at the hands of our government, as well as research the IRR has conducted surrounding the upcoming elections.
Cronje, however, ended off the discussion with a positive comment by praising South Africa as a “free and open society”.
He stated that counter to sentiments often seen on social media, “South Africa is not a society divided against itself. It stands out from our polling time and again that a comfortable seven to eight out of every ten South Africans, across lines of race and class, respect one another and remain very much invested in the other’s success while sharing a surprising degree of common ground.”