Collective call to stop attacks on migrants

A collective of South African organisations expresses grave concern over the targeting of migrants in homes and workplaces, warning that political calls for forced removals could trigger widespread xenophobic violence similar to the 2008 events. The statement argues that migrants are used as scapegoats for systemic issues like corruption, state failure, and pandemic-exacerbated unemployment. It calls for the South African Police Services to act against vigilantism, the government to initiate a national dialogue, and the implementation of the National Action Plan to Combat Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. The authors note that anti-migrant sentiment is a global phenomenon and highlight that climate change and political instability will necessitate a human-rights-based approach to migration.

• The statement warns that current calls by political parties and activists to forcefully remove migrants and conduct headcounts in businesses could lead to widespread xenophobic violence, recalling the 2008 events where 62 people were killed.
• The authors argue that blaming migrants for unemployment is a 'scapegoat' that ignores systemic corruption, state failure, and the inefficiencies of the Home Affairs Department in processing documents.
• The collective calls for the South African Police Services to stop the normalization of vigilantism and for the government to implement the National Action Plan to Combat Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance.
• The document identifies anti-migrant sentiment as a global issue driven by right-wing racism and fascism, and asserts that climate change-induced environmental devastation will increase the need for a human-rights-led approach to migration.

APA

Public Affairs Research Institute (2022). Collective call to stop attacks on migrants. https://pari.org.za/press-statement-collective-call-to-stop-attacks-on-migrants/

Chicago

Public Affairs Research Institute. Collective call to stop attacks on migrants. 2022. https://pari.org.za/press-statement-collective-call-to-stop-attacks-on-migrants/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Public Affairs Research Institute |title=Collective call to stop attacks on migrants |date=24 January 2022 |url=https://pari.org.za/press-statement-collective-call-to-stop-attacks-on-migrants/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{publicaffairsresearchinstitute2022collective, author = {{Public Affairs Research Institute}}, title = {{Collective call to stop attacks on migrants}}, publisher = {Public Affairs Research Institute}, year = {2022}, month = jan, url = {https://pari.org.za/press-statement-collective-call-to-stop-attacks-on-migrants/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }