Against the Tide by Steven Friedman

As we celebrate thirty years of democracy, students in the USA are being victimised for speaking their minds on Palestine. The contrast could not be sharper - here anyone can say what they like about Palestine or any other issue while in the US and other Western countries which like to lecture us on democracy, academic freedom and freedom of speech are torn up if you support Palestinian rights. But we have no cause to be complacent - while better off South Africans enjoy more freedoms than the West, many in townships and shack settlements are punished when they speak  

This is the view of my weekly Against the Tide column sent to subscribers this week. To subscribe, visit the Against the Tide website and choose a subscription option. To request a free or reduced subscription contact info@againstthetide.co.za

Steven Friedman is a public commentator and an academic, currently employed as a Research Professor at the University of Johannesburg. He has been writing on South African politics for the entire democratic period both as a scholar and public commentator. He has published books on South Africa’s transition to democracy, the role of the trade union movement, and current South African politics. He has also written columns and articles for several South African newspapers. His writing seeks to use academic research to shed light on current politics but to ensure that this is conveyed in a way easily understood by people who have no academic training.