South Africa says over 900 arrested during nationwide anti-migrant protests

JOHANNESBURG — South African police said more than 900 people were arrested on Tuesday, when ​there were nationwide anti-migrant protests which were mostly ​peaceful but occasionally descended into violence and looting.

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Tebello ⁠Mosikili, a deputy national police commissioner, told ​a press conference that of the 120 marches ​that took place on Tuesday, 108 were peaceful while 12 needed law enforcement to intervene due to unrest.

Some of those ​arrested were undocumented migrants detained for violating ​immigration rules, while others were arrested for public violence, harbouring ‌illegal immigrants and robbery.

Mosikili said police reinforcements had been deployed to five of the country’s nine provinces overnight to respond to isolated incidents of looting and ​criminality.

Soldiers were ​sent to ⁠Johannesburg’s Hillbrow neighbourhood to support the police.

Tuesday’s marches were organised to mark ​a “deadline” an anti-immigrant movement had set for ​undocumented ⁠migrants to leave South Africa.

The protests came after months of unrest that have drawn international criticism as ⁠foreigners ​have been driven from their ​homes and seen their businesses and property vandalised.

The most prominent groups opposing illegal immigration include March and March, Operation Dudula and Progressive Forces. President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has challenged the protesters’ allegation that migrants are to blame for the country’s social and economic challenges, met Monday night with leaders of some of the groups and asked them to conduct peaceful demonstrations.

Ngizwe Mchunu, one of the protest leaders, told The Associated Press that he blamed illegal migration for a proliferation of illicit drugs in South Africa. He also complained about the high percentage of informal neighborhood shops run by immigrants from other African countries, saying they should all be owned by South Africans.

“It’s a very sad story that we have been telling our government since the dawn of democracy that illegal immigration here is out of hand,” Mchunu said. “It is time for our government to put South Africa first.”

Amnesty International South Africa said migrants, refugees and asylum seekers are being unfairly blamed for the country’s unemployment, inequality and struggling public services, arguing that those challenges stem from the legacy of apartheid, persistent inequality and failures in the asylum system.