By Anadolu Staff
A suspect appeared in a South African court to respond to accusations of killing a woman and critically injuring her husband and son because they "supported Palestine," media reports said Tuesday.
Video on social media from what appears to be a waiting area of the Durban Magistrates Court shows the suspect being questioned by someone off camera where Grayson Beare, 44, said he used a knife to attack Halima Hoosen-Preston early Sunday and critically injured her husband and 14-year-old son, according to a report by the News24 online publication.
He said he attacked Hoosen-Preston because she hated his family and friends.
“She and her family thought that it was entertaining that my cousins were killed in Israel,” he said.
Beare later appeared before the court where the charges were read. The case was adjourned the case to June 11 to allow Beare to undergo a mental assessment.
It is not the first time that a pro-Palestine supporter has been attacked in South Africa.
In April, Pro-Palestine supporters expressed outrage after two men with an Israeli flag were seen on social media scuffling with two women activists in Cape Town.
A viral video on X showed the men attacking a pro-Palestinian woman activist and pulling her hair, while another woman was heard warning them to not touch a woman.
When the second woman joined the shuffle to help her friend, she was pushed by one of the men.
Advocate Shameemah Salie, national spokesperson for the Al Jama-ah political party, told Anadolu at the time that pro-Palestinian protesters had been picketing every weekend in Simonstown near Cape Town when pro-Israeli supporters started counter-protests.
“Allegations are that last weekend one of the pro-Zionist members made a statement to females in the pro-Palestinian group that they are beautiful and had they been in Gaza Hamas would rape them,” she said.
Salie added that verbal responses ensued leading to one of the pro-Israeli men grabbing a pro-Palestinian man and dragging and beating him, while another man pushed a woman and attempted to hit her.
“This matter is very concerning. This is the second matter of allegations of threats of rape against pro-Palestinian activists that Al Jama-ah has been asked to assist with,” she said.