Lauren Hess, News24
#RedOctober was one of the top trending topics in South Africa on Thursday as activists staged protests in Cape Town, Pretoria and other cities, according to the Red October website.
The event’s organisers believe that whites are being targeted in hate crimes in South Africa.
Protesters in Pretoria marched to the Union Buildings where they handed over a memorandum demanding an end to what they call a white genocide in South Africa.
Protesters in Cape Town marched from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s Cape Town campus to the main Naspers building in the CBD and then to Parliament.
The Red October website said that protests were planned for other cities in South Africa as well as in Australia, the UK and the United States, however it was unclear if the protests had actually taken place.
Speaking at the Pretoria protest, activist, actor and singer Steve Hofmeyr told the crowd: “They say we're wrong because everybody is dying. Everybody is a victim. They're wrong!”
Fellow activist Sunette Bridges said: “I don't want to live where grannies get raped and murdered and we're told it's just crime because a phone was stolen.”
Protesters carried red balloons to symbolise white people who had been victims of violent crime in the country.
However, it seemed as if more people were against the Red October campaign than supported it if social media was anything to go by.
“World Mental Health day, and #RedOctober supporters are calling anyone who doesn't support their racist cause "libtards". Keep it classy, SA,” tweeted @DiscordianKitty.
“The #RedOctober thing... Uncalled for racism at its worst. The way they're acting is embarrassing,” said tweeter @Mikejdavo.
"Stop crime against white people! We don't care about crime against Black, Asian, Indian, Coloured people!" tweeted comedian Trevor Noah.
“As South Africans we should be protesting ALL crime and ALL corruption TOGETHER. These things affect us all equally,” Noah tweeted soon after.
By Thursday afternoon, a petition on the Red October website had been signed by 22 538 people.
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