For new readers, Brandon Huntley, a white South African, had been granted asylum in Canada on grounds that he was being persecuted for his skin color in the Rainbow Nation. A couple of weeks ago a judge threw out his claim. This article from IOL (Independent On Line), a South African publication, sounds a bit ominous to me about whether Huntley will be safe if deported to his home country.
Once he returns to South Africa, Brandon Huntley, the man who has just lost his refugee status in Canada, will “forever suffer the indignity of his false claims”.
This is the view of Home Affairs spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa, who said Huntley should never have been granted refugee status.
Huntley now faces deportation and a return to South Africa.
“We welcome the decision of the Canadian federal court,” said Mamoepa. “From the outset, our view has always been that his claims are based on falsehood that tarnishes our image and the people of South Africa in the eyes of the world.”
He said the ruling vindicated South Africa and any negative perceptions Huntley’s claims may have caused. “We are looking forward to his deportation to South Africa, where he will forever suffer the indignity of his false claims,” he said. [And, IOL has prominently posted his photograph.]
Heck, we have so much crime going every which way in S. Africa we should all be refugees! Astounding comment from a government official.
John Kane-Berman, chief executive of the South African Institute of Race Relations, said Huntley did not have any grounds on which to argue that he, or any one race group, was at a greater risk of being a victim of crime than any other in South Africa. “South Africa has a very high level of crime, particularly violent crime,” he said. “If South Africans were entitled to refugee status based on the level of crime in the country, we should all be given refugee status.”
No where do these government officials say they will protect Huntley. Huntley’s attorney should use these remarks to argue his client will not be safe if deported to S.Africa.