Trump to Skip G20 Amid Dispute Over South African Afrikaner Concerns
Former president Donald Trump has announced he will not attend the upcoming G20 summit in Brazil, citing dissatisfaction with the international body’s response to his concerns regarding the treatment of Afrikaners in South Africa. Trump has repeatedly amplified claims of a crisis facing white South Africans, alleging a “genocide” is underway, a narrative disputed by experts and South African officials. His decision to boycott the summit underscores a continued focus on the issue and introduces further uncertainty into the already complex geopolitical landscape.
The Afrikaners are a historically distinct ethnic group in South Africa, primarily descended from Dutch settlers who arrived in the 17th century. their language, Afrikaans, evolved from Dutch and is spoken by millions.For decades, Afrikaners were the dominant political force during the apartheid era, a system of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination against non-white South Africans. Following the end of apartheid in 1994, the Afrikaner population experienced a shift in political and economic power, leading to anxieties about their future and safety, wich have been exploited by extremist groups and amplified internationally.
Trump’s focus on the Afrikaners stems from a long-held interest in the issue, dating back to 2018 when he directed his management to investigate alleged land seizures and violence against white farmers in South Africa. These claims, often circulated online, have been widely debunked by fact-checkers and south African authorities. While crime rates are high in South Africa and white farmers have been victims of violent attacks, these incidents are not specifically targeted due to race, and are frequently enough motivated by robbery or other criminal activity.
A petition signed by south Africans, including researcher Annelize Koorts, directly challenges the narrative of a “white genocide.” “To cherry-pick white suffering and elevate it above others is dishonest and harmful,” the petition states. “It feeds extremist ideologies that perpetuate division and have inspired real-world violence, including mass shootings.” Koorts emphasized the need to contextualize the Afrikaner experience,stating,”What we now see is our story being taken out of context,being twisted for an American audience to make Americans fearful of multiculturalism…Don’t. Please don’t. That is not our story. That is a twisted version of our story.”
The G20 summit is scheduled to take place in Rio de Janeiro in November. Trump’s absence will likely draw criticism from allies and further isolate the united States on key international issues. The former president has not detailed what specific actions he expected from the G20 regarding the Afrikaner situation, but his decision signals a continued willingness to prioritize the issue despite widespread disagreement with his assessment of the situation.
