News / National
The Mail & Guardian suspends intern for hate speech
17 Jun 2011 at 02:20hrs | Views
Johannesburg - The Mail & Guardian has suspended an intern for posting an anti-Semitic comment on social networking site Facebook, the weekly reported on its website.
Ngoako Matsha, who had been a trainee since February 2011, called "all Jews" racists, adding, "no wonder Hitler killed all the Jews", reported the Mail & Guardian Online on Thursday.
This was in response to a posting by Facebook user Benji Shulman, who asked people to suggest a "basic decent history of apartheid".
Matsha replied: "Petty apartheid is building tall walls to separate Israel from Palestines (sic)."
To which Shulman said: "Thanks for that piece of pseudo-politics but I need something that will stand up to logical argument."
Matsha then responded: "You racists! No wonder Hitler killed all the Jews, because you're all a bunch of racists."
Mail & Guardian editor Nic Dawes was informed of the comment by a Twitter user.
He investigated and was informed that Matsha had confirmed that he made the statement.
Dawes said in an email to staff: "The remarks made on Facebook... are fundamentally at odds with the most fundamental values of the Mail & Guardian, the Constitution, and basic human decency.
"Justifying the Holocaust in this fashion is hate speech and is completely unacceptable in any forum."
The Mail & Guardian Online reported that Matsha was suspended pending the outcome of a disciplinary hearing.
Ngoako Matsha, who had been a trainee since February 2011, called "all Jews" racists, adding, "no wonder Hitler killed all the Jews", reported the Mail & Guardian Online on Thursday.
This was in response to a posting by Facebook user Benji Shulman, who asked people to suggest a "basic decent history of apartheid".
Matsha replied: "Petty apartheid is building tall walls to separate Israel from Palestines (sic)."
To which Shulman said: "Thanks for that piece of pseudo-politics but I need something that will stand up to logical argument."
Matsha then responded: "You racists! No wonder Hitler killed all the Jews, because you're all a bunch of racists."
Mail & Guardian editor Nic Dawes was informed of the comment by a Twitter user.
He investigated and was informed that Matsha had confirmed that he made the statement.
Dawes said in an email to staff: "The remarks made on Facebook... are fundamentally at odds with the most fundamental values of the Mail & Guardian, the Constitution, and basic human decency.
"Justifying the Holocaust in this fashion is hate speech and is completely unacceptable in any forum."
The Mail & Guardian Online reported that Matsha was suspended pending the outcome of a disciplinary hearing.
Source - Sapa
