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Zimbabwe officials accusing western governments of being racist....

Tenchiro

Attention K Mart Shoppers
Jul 19, 2002
5,407
0
New England
So it's ok for them to sieze land from farmers simply because they are white, but when sanctions are imposed on them because of their actions they cry racism? :confused:

We should send those guys a shipment of Midol or something...


U.S. Sanctions Are Racist Attack-Zimbabwe Official
Sat Mar 8, 6:30 AM ET


By Cris Chinaka HARARE (Reuters) - A senior Zimbabwean official condemned on Saturday a U.S. decision to impose sanctions on the leadership as part of a "white racist" attack on a government he said was fighting for the interests of its black majority.

President Bush (news - web sites) on Friday imposed economic sanctions on Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and 76 other high-ranking government officials, accusing them of undermining democracy in the impoverished southern African country.

Bush, following the lead of the European Union (news - web sites), issued an executive order freezing their assets and barring Americans from engaging in any transactions or dealings with them.

The Zimbabwean official said the new sanctions were part of a well-coordinated attack on Mugabe by British Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites), who he said was angry over Mugabe's seizures of white-owned farms in Zimbabwe, a former British colony.

"All these sanctions being imposed on us are unjustified because they are part of a racist campaign against our land reform program," said the official, who declined to be named.

"This is not about democracy, human rights or about any concern for the welfare of blacks. This is about our land and heritage," he told Reuters.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) welcomed the U.S. sanctions, saying they represented a principled stand against tyranny.

Mugabe has been under fire from the West over the alleged rigging of an election last year and the persecution of political foes, as well as the seizure of white-owned farms for redistribution to landless blacks.

The United States, the Commonwealth and the European Union, encouraged by rights groups, have all imposed some travel, aid and economic sanctions on Zimbabwe.

Blair has been particularly critical of Mugabe, leading opposition to the Zimbabwean government in the European Union.


OPPOSITION PRAISE SANCTIONS


In a statement on Friday, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer (news - web sites) said the situation in Zimbabwe "endangers the southern African region" and threatens to undermine democratic reforms throughout the continent.

The White House stressed that the sanctions were not aimed at the people of Zimbabwe, and that it was "working diligently" with its international partners to ensure that adequate food supplies are made available to Zimbabweans in need.

MDC spokesman Paul Themba-Nyathi said "We welcome these new sanctions heartily because they are going to send a clear and unequivocal message to Mugabe and his cronies that decent governments are not going to tolerate his tyranny."

"It is a message that a government that tortures its own people as a matter of course must suffer serious sanctions, and be isolated," he told Reuters.

In February, the EU renewed targeted sanctions against Mugabe and his close associates for one year. The measures include a visa ban, an arms embargo and a freeze on the assets of senior government officials.

Last month Mugabe launched a blistering attack on Bush and Blair, branding them imperialists who wanted to impose a new form of colonialism on developing countries.
 

patconnole

Monkey
Jun 4, 2002
396
0
bellingham WA
Anybody know what white people are living there? I can guess, but anybody know? i.e., how long have they been there living, why are they there, etc.....?

Is thhis at all similar to a Native American majority taking back "white" lands?
 

DRB

unemployed bum
Oct 24, 2002
15,242
0
Watchin' you. Writing it all down.
Originally posted by patconnole
Anybody know what white people are living there? I can guess, but anybody know? i.e., how long have they been there living, why are they there, etc.....?

Is thhis at all similar to a Native American majority taking back "white" lands?
The white people are typically of Dutch or English decent having been there for 150 to 200 years. Typically on farms that have been passed down generation to generation. As for why, who the devil knows why? But I'd guess that they were trying to make better lives for themselves.

Also don't forget that these farm siezures are happening eventhough a country wide refrendum for a constitutional amendment failed (in a country that is 98% black) allowing the government to seize these lands. Mugabe is only in power because of fixed elections and intimidation tactics, against the other political parties. See multiple political parties were okay when he was winning but as soon as he was going to lose.... And soon after this fixed election low and behold the Senate (all basically appointed by Mugabe go ahead and pass this amendment).

But this is how it will play out. The white farmers will be thrown out, they will go back to England or wheverever (eventhough they are from Zimbabwe). The land will be mismanaged by inexperienced farmers so badly that crop production will suffer greatly leading to a food shortage. These inexperienced farmers will continue to mismanage these previously productive farms until they are arid barren wastelands leading to greater famine. Then folks will get pissed and start a revolution. But see in Africa revolution basically boils down to one thing, genocide. So the currently oppressed political parties will murder as many of Mugabe's supporters as possible during their "revolution". At some point in this the military will see the change in prevailing winds and side with the "revolutionaries". Bringing "order" to the situation. However, since African politics is worse than the weather, hungry people will begin to wonder why they are still hungry and a revolt starts all over again. None of this is pretty.

The whole time this is going on a country that had previously been able to fully support itself will become dependent on the UN and other aid organizations to be fed.
 

valve bouncer

Master Dildoist
Feb 11, 2002
7,843
114
Japan
The white people in Zimbabwe are not of Dutch descent although there are some Afrikaaners there. They are mostly of British descent and nearly all have British passports. The country was originally called Rhodesia after Cecil Rhodes, arch imperialist and businessman who is buried in the Matopo Hills outside of Bulawayo. The first whites settled there in the 1890's. After the war (WW2) their numbers were close to 250,000 but since Mugabe took over in 1980 following a civil war (between the white government of Ian Smith and the black nationalists lead by Rober Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo)the numbers of whites has dwindled to about 70,000 (probably less depending on who you speak to). Many emigrated to Australia, South Africa and other English speaking countries.
Both times I went to Zimbabwe (the first time was in 1990 and the second was in 1993) I had a great time. The country was reasonably stable and safe, the people friendly and relatively well off. The country seemed well run even though it was apparent even then that Mugabe was basically a dictator and it was best not to criticize him too vociferously.
It's sad beyond words to see what has gone on there and although I do feel sorry for the white people kicked off their farms I feel particularly sorry for the poor blacks who are the ones feeling the full brunt of Mugabe's mismanagement.
 

LordOpie

MOTHER HEN
Oct 17, 2002
21,022
3
Denver
Originally posted by Tenchiro
So it's ok for them to sieze land from farmers simply because they are white, but when sanctions are imposed on them because of their actions they cry racism? :confused:


By Cris Chinaka HARARE (Reuters) - A senior Zimbabwean official condemned on Saturday a U.S. decision to impose sanctions on the leadership as part of a "white racist" attack on a government he said was fighting for the interests of its black majority.
Didn't you know that black people can't be racist?