Thousands Sign Petition Asking Trump to Let White Farmers in South Africa Migrate to U.S.

More than 10,500 people have signed a petition asking President Donald Trump to let white people in South Africa emigrate to the U.S. amid a vote by the country’s parliament in favour of land expropriation, which would strip white farmers of land without compensation.

The petition calls on the U.S. leader to “take the steps necessary to initiate an emergency immigration plan allowing white Boers to come to the United States.” Boer is the term used to describe South Africans of Dutch, German or Huguenot descent, who are also commonly referred to as Afrikaners.

The petition suggests that Trump should stop admitting refugees from Somalia and the Middle East, claiming they “cannot be properly vetted,” and allow white South Africans into the country instead. They “can be easily vetted and also possess skills that make them compatible with our culture and civilization,” the petition says.

A similar petition, calling on European Union President Jean-Claude Juncker, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Theresa May to allow white South Africans into EU countries, has gained nearly 17,000 signatures.

South Africa’s parliament voted to remove white South African farmers from their land without paying them compensation in a landmark vote on Tuesday, news.com.au reported.

The motion was supported, but amended by the ruling African National Congress (ANC), with the party promising reforms that will address racial disparities in land ownership.

Lawmakers voted overwhelmingly in favor of the move, with the motion passing 241-83.

It was a key part of recently elected President Cyril Ramaphosa’s platform. {snip}

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Dan Kriek, Agri SA’s president, warned that the rights of all property owners in South Africa were at stake. He said that amending the country’s constitution property clause would be a step backward into a past where the protection of property rights was not applied across the board.

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Julius Malema, the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters opposition party, which introduced the motion told parliament, told lawmakers “we must stop being cowards. We must stop working around the white minorities who are governed by the fear of the unknown when it comes to the question of land expropriation without compensation.”

He said land expropriation would end disparity caused by “criminals who stole our land.”

Malema also said “the time for reconciliation in South Africa “is over,” News.com.au reported. “Now is the time for justice,” he said, adding, “We must sensure that we restore the dignity of our people without compensating the criminals who stole our land.”

Malema has been a strong supporter of confiscating land from white farmers, saying in 2016 he was “not calling for the slaughter of white people–at least for now.”

The creators of the petition demanding that Trump admit white South Africans into the U.S. as refugees claim that the “increasing murder rate, along with the campaign to dispossess whites of their history, culture, farms, property and jobs, will inevitably lead to a complete genocide of South Africa’s white population” if the U.S. does not “intercede.”

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It is unclear where people who are signing the petitions on Change.org are based. Signatories cite fears of a “white genocide” as their reason for signing, while others appeared to express sentiments aligned with white supremacy.

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