On the record

This week a media storm has brewed regarding a report that the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) has had a film titled Hebrews to Negroes banned on account of its Holocaust denial. Regular readers will know this story is not new. We received the ruling in December last year, and I wrote about it here at the time. What has changed is that the Film and Publication Board’s (FPB) decision has now been published in the Government Gazette. It is official, and for the first time we can read the reasons behind it. 

A few points are worth highlighting. The first is a matter of accuracy. The film has not been banned. It has been refused classification, which means it cannot knowingly be broadcast, distributed, exhibited in public, or offered for sale or hire. The reason for that decision is that the film advocates hatred and impugns the dignity of our community. Nothing about the decision conflicts with the Constitution. It falls squarely within the protections the Constitution gives every one of us, and within the very robust South African hate speech laws. 

The second point is what the ruling actually says, and I consider it groundbreaking. The FPB gives five reasons for its decision. They are Holocaust denial, dehumanisation, the promotion of antisemitic views, prejudicial language, and content that incites hatred and spreads dangerous misinformation, failing to provide the objective and informed perspective required of a bona fide documentary. The FPB goes further, finding that by denying the Holocaust, the film fundamentally fails to offer an informed and objective perspective. That is a significant finding, and it tells me our concerns were heard and considered with real seriousness. 

None of this came quickly. The process began in 2023 and included painstaking hearings at which we sat through hate-filled diatribes, falsehoods, and defamatory accusations aimed at the Jewish people. The SAJBD refused to let this film reach South African audiences, and through sheer persistence it has succeeded in standing against a film that attempts to export hate globally. 

Sadly, though perhaps predictably, the comments under the story online this week were full of hate and accusation, with no short supply of Holocaust denial. I suspect none of those commentators was planning to watch the film anyway. This has never been about censorship. It is about hate speech that would strip us of our dignity as equal citizens of this country. That is a fight we will keep fighting for as long as it takes, on behalf of our community. 

Finally, this is my last column before the elections on Wednesday. The SAJBD has held election debates in three provinces, and on election day will lead an election observer team. None of that matters, though, if we do not go out and vote. 

So, allow me to repeat my call. Please vote, and take your running group, your street group, your shul group, and your card group with you. The results, especially in Johannesburg, may come down to very few votes. This is our chance to save our cities and to start pushing for the viable and meaningful change they so badly need. I will see you in the queue.