Thabo Mbeki, South Africa’s president between 1999 and 2008, has revealed in a speech that while he was head of state on a visit to Sweden, a man walked up to him to say, “Black man, go home”.
Mbeki, in a report by South Africa’s Mail & Guardian newspaper, was speaking in Pretoria at the 25th anniversary of think tank, The Institute for Global Dialogue.
He touched on the rise of far-right political parties in Europe and the threats they pose to global democracy.
According to the former president, while in Sweden in 2000, Denmark’s then Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, who was also in the country, asked that the two of them take a walk to the sea.
“As we are walking, I could see – through the corner of [my] eye – I could see somebody coming to join the group. I wasn’t paying much attention,” said Mbeki.
He continued, “A man came into the group, came right up to me, and says, ‘Black man, go home,’”.
Mbeki analyzed that although the incident happened to him a long time ago, he believes it was a sign of things coming.
He mourned the legitimization of Europe’s far-right “racist” parties by parties who polish up for democratic elections”.
“That tendency has grown, so now even countries like Sweden have got a big Swedish Democrats party – that’s what it calls itself – [which is] very right-wing, anti-migration, racist,” added Mbeki.
Mbeki, who ruled after celebrated anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela, also criticized South Africa for what he believes is the lack of a foreign policy.
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton has said that his little brother was subjected to racial abuse,…
Reggie Bush has regained his place as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner after over a…
Since 2012, actor Nick Cannon has openly shared his struggle with lupus to support others…
Former USC superstar Caleb Williams has been drafted by the Chicago Bears as the No.…
Stephen A. Smith is an ESPN analyst. People widely regard him as the face of…
Lil Durk is an American rapper and one of the most influential voices in the…
In 2022, Kevin Hart added a new title to his impressive resume: a tequila entrepreneur.…
AEW's latest pay-per-view, Dynasty 2024 on Sunday night saw Swerve Strickland defeat Samoa Joe to…
Renowned civil rights activist Opal Lee, known as the "Grandmother of Juneteenth," will be awarded…
Violet Horne lost her two sons to gun violence within the space of a month.…
An Ohio man said a K-9 bit him seven times after he was pulled over…
Three male foreign tourists who were spotted posing naked in a popular dune in Namibia…
Will.i.am is partnering with other prominent figures to revolutionize the digital media scene by forming…
Sabelle Beraki's childhood was inundated with the lack of representation when it came to a…
Benjamin Harvey is the founder of AI Squared, a third-party software company that helps organizations…