Issued by: Office of the Deputy President
HEAVY-HANDED POLICE ACTION AGAINST YOUNG PRETORIA SOCCER REVELLERS
The National Youth Commission wishes to register its very strong concern and dismay at the heavy-handed action of Pretoria police in dealing with young, black Sunnyside revellers celebrating Bafana Bafana's victory last night. Of particular concern to us are reports by youth that they were set upon indiscriminately by police and police dogs despite having caused no damage or threat of damage to public order or property in the area. We are distressed to learn that responsible, law-abiding young citizens had to take refuge on the property of sympathetic business people to avoid being physically hurt by police. These same business people were themselves victims of the police over-reaction, as was accurately reported in this morning's Pretoria News.
The sensitivity and sense of occasion that intelligent police people would have brought to dealing with the understandable outpouring of celebration last night, seems to have been completely absent last night. To dampen the patriotic exhuberance of young people acting within the limits of the law in such violent fashion is unacceptable to the National Youth Commission. We call on relevant authorities to investigate last night's police action and explain publicly why so many innocent young people feel violated and aggrieved this morning.
26 February 1998
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