南非現正處於另一波針對非裔移民的攻擊之中:本週在普里托利亞(Pretoria)與約翰尼斯堡,群眾高喊著排外口號,洗劫、燒毀外國人的商家及住宅。
在 2008 年及 2015 年,類似的暴力活動也曾席捲全國:當時暴徒殺害了數人,並造成大量財物損失。
星期五,在首都一場大型反移民示威活動之後,警方發射了震撼彈及橡皮子彈來驅散衝突群眾,其中有移民、也有反移民的抗議者。
抗議者把國內的高犯罪率歸咎於移民──尤其是與性交易和違禁藥物有關的犯罪──並指控移民搶走了南非公民的工作。據估計,作為非洲大陸尋求庇護者的主要目的國之一,南非現約住有 220 萬移民。
南非總統朱瑪(Jacob Zuma)說,南非人並不排外,他們只是受夠了犯罪。
許多網路使用者紛紛譴責最新一波針對移民的攻擊,有些人還提出了一些理論,來解釋為何排外對很多南非人來說似乎正中下懷。
在推特(Twitter)上,Leandri J van Vuuren 說這整件事都要歸結於政府失職:
Cause of #xenophobia in South Africa: scarcity of resources, lack of housing, service delivery, education & jobs. Government is failing us.
— Leandri J van Vuuren (@Lean3JvV) February 24, 2017
南非 #xenophobia(排外心理)的成因:資源匱乏、住房不足、公共服務、教育與就業。政府讓我們失望了。
— Leandri J van Vuuren (@Lean3JvV) February 24, 2017
Lola de Lola 說,排外不能解決南非的社會問題:
Every society in this #madworld has deep social problems but #Xenophobia is not the solution, we shall be ashamed. South Africa stop it.
— LolaDeLola (@Lola_de_Lola) February 24, 2017
在這個 #madworld(瘋狂的世界)裡,每個社會都有它根深柢固的問題,但 #xenophobia(排外)不是解決之道,我們應該感到羞恥。南非,停止吧。
— LolaDeLola (@Lola_de_Lola) February 24, 2017
Lord Skibabs 說,犯罪無國籍:
? “Fight crime, not fellow Africans” Crime doesn't have a nationality #Xenophobia #SouthAfrica ? pic.twitter.com/bP6oEQCRPQ
— Lord Skibabs (@Skibabs) February 24, 2017
?「打擊犯罪,而不是非裔同胞。」犯罪無國籍。#xenophobia(排外) #SouthAfrica(南非) ? pic.twitter.com/bP6oEQCRPQ
— Lord Skibabs (@Skibabs) February 24, 2017
Abdulrahman 感嘆:
South Africa…this is not the rainbow nation you used to be! ? #Xenophobia #enca #SABCinquiry
— Abdulrahman (@Rahmanchulo) February 24, 2017
南非⋯⋯你已不是那曾經的彩虹國度!? #xenophobia(排外) #enca(非洲電子新聞頻道) #SABCinquiry(南非廣播公司新聞調查)
— Abdulrahman (@Rahmanchulo) February 24, 2017
「彩虹國度」是圖圖(Desmond Tutu)大主教於 1994 年所創的新詞,用以形容後種族隔離時代的南非;其後,南非的第一位總統曼德拉(Nelson Mandela)則讓它廣為人知。
注意到抗議活動與暴力行為多半都是針對來自非洲國家的外籍人士,Amandla 寫道:
“South Africa belongs to all who live in it” is non-applicable to African nationals but applicable to white foreigners? Sidakiwe la eMzansi.
— Amandla! (@AmandlaMobi) February 24, 2017
「南非屬於所有在地居民」不適用於非裔人士,只適用於白種外國人?我們這些南方人是茫了吧。
— Amandla! (@AmandlaMobi) February 24, 2017
塞內加爾駐南非大使館經濟處長 Samba Thiam,在推特上分享了他的親身經驗:
Associating foreigners with crime is so silly. Have been facing xenophobia since day-1 in South Africa as diplomatic agent. Still dealing!
— Samba Alassane Thiam (@jesuismackysall) February 20, 2017
把外國人與犯罪聯結在一起真是太蠢了。從在南非擔任外交人員的第一天起,我就不斷感受到[南非人的]排外心理。還在調適中!
— Samba Alassane Thiam (@jesuismackysall) February 20, 2017
有些人說,應該用「排非」這個詞來取代「排外」:
@shewolfmo there is no xenophobia in South Africa, it's afrophobia Indians, Pakistanis and White people not affected by these attacks
— HEMEDI MOHA® (@HemediMoha) February 24, 2017
@shewolfmo 南非不是排外,是排非。印度人、巴基斯坦人與白人都沒遭受這些攻擊。
— HEMEDI MOHA® (@HemediMoha) February 24, 2017
另一位名為 Munyati 的推特用戶則建議:
At this rate, we might have to think about dropping the “Africa” from South Africa. #Xenophobia #XenoMarch #Xenophobicattacks #TshwaneUnrest
— Munyati (@GotMunyati) February 24, 2017
照這樣下去,我們可能得考慮把「非」字從「南非」裡去掉了。#xenophobia(排外) #XenoMarch(排外遊行) #Xenophobicattacks(排外攻擊) #TshwaneUnrest(茨瓦內之亂)
— Munyati (@GotMunyati) February 24, 2017
Motshubane 呼籲[進行]全國性的心理評估:
South Africa needs to go for a psychological evaluation of sorts… something twisted in the way we view things. ? #Xenophobia
— Motshubane (@motshubane) February 24, 2017
南非需要接受某種心理評估了⋯⋯我們看事情的方式實在有點扭曲。? #xenophobia(排外心理)
— Motshubane (@motshubane) February 24, 2017
半島電視台(Al Jazeera)特派員 Haru Mutasa 則呼籲記者要教育南非人,關於非洲國家在反種族隔離的奮鬥中所扮演的角色:
xenophobia, journalists need to do stories on how the region helped southafrica during apartheid, maybe ignorance can change to knowledge?
— harumutasa/aljazeera (@harumutasa) February 24, 2017
排外心理。記者需要報導這片地區是如何在種族隔離時期幫助了南非,也許無知能轉化為知識?
— harumutasa/aljazeera (@harumutasa) February 24, 2017
在臉書(Facebook)上,與國際特赦組織(Amnesty International)有合作的媒體經理 Robert Shivambu 坦承:
Today is one of those days that I am ashamed to say that I am South African. #NoToXenophobia
今天是我羞於承認自己是南非人的一天。#NoToXenophobia(拒絕排外)
那些支持示威者的人拒絕接受「排外」的標籤。比方說,Joe Selimo 就主張,南非人是在打擊毒品與性交易,不是移民或外國文化:
Why is it #xenophobia when south Africans fight drugs nd prostitution in their area,they're the ones who suffers at the end of the day
— Joe selimo (@Mjselimo) February 23, 2017
為什麼南非人在自己的地盤上打擊毒品與性交易要被說是 #xenophobia(排外)?到頭來他們才是要承受這些的人。
— Joe selimo (@Mjselimo) February 23, 2017
Lemenemene 問, 那些批評抗議群眾的人,看起來不是也挺接受那些關於南非人、帶有排異意味的觀點嗎:
How does one go about unpacking the perception held by a lot of foreigners that South Africans are lazy without coming across as xenophobic?
— Honorable Lemenemene (@HovaXXI) February 24, 2017
為什麼一個人四處散播很多外國人認為「南非人很懶」的觀感,就不會被認為是排異?
— Honorable Lemenemene (@HovaXXI) February 24, 2017
Senzo Mncwabe 說,南非人只是需要空間:
@Boity its not xenophobia each an every person must go where they was born we need a space in south africa its not china here please
— Senzo_mncwabe (@senzo_weezy) February 24, 2017
@Boity 這不是排外。每個人都得回到他們出生的地方,我們南非需要空間。拜託,這裡又不是中國。
— Senzo_mncwabe (@senzo_weezy) February 24, 2017