HATE CRIMES AWARENESS PROTEST

Cape Town’s Triangle Project is hosting a programme of public awareness and community mobilisation against hate crimes this Friday, 5 December, at the Khayelitsha Magistrates Court.

The event is part of the 16-Days of Activism against gender-based violence and focuses particularly on hate crimes committed against black lesbian and bisexual women.

It also coincides with court proceeding in the trial of the men accused of murdering Zoliswa Nkonyana.

“We the partners of the Western Cape End Hate Campaign demand Justice for Zoliswa Nkonyana, and many nameless and faceless women and other vulnerable Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered and intersexed persons who have been raped, assaulted, victimised, shamed and killed for choosing to live their lives authentically and out,” said the organisers in statement.

The programme will include protest poetry, music, drumming and statements by a diverse group of community leaders, activists, feminists and human rights defenders.

The organisers have called on participants to bring along posters and to wear t-shirts representative of relevant organisations or with appropriate messaging.

The court proceedings start at 08h30. Various alliance representatives will be monitoring the trial of the nine accused of murdering Nkonyana. The programme then commences at 09h00 in the fore-court of the Khayalitsha Regional Court and will end at 12h30.

Nkonyana was beaten, stoned and stabbed to death by a group of around 20 men in Khayelitsha on 4 February 2006 – reportedly for being a lesbian.

For more information on Friday’s event, contact Marlow Valentine on 083 668 5935 or via e-mail on marlow@triangle.org.za.