When protests disrupted a South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) event in Cape Town, with fears of violence forcing its abandonment, the organisation blamed its own regional organisers who “should have been sensitive to the context and ensured a diversity of viewpoints by including panellists across the political divide”.
The event was being addressed by the Democratic Alliance’s spokesperson on International Affairs, Emma Louise Powell, on the theme of “South Africa’s Standing in a Tumultuous World”.
The online invitation posed the following question: “How can South Africa position itself in this tumultuous world to best advance its goals within the G20, as well as in its bilateral relations with the US, the countries of the European Union, and its partners in the BRICS+?”
However, protesters – identified in the media as members of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, who voiced support for the Palestinian case and attacked the Democratic Alliance on the grounds of its supposed position on the conflict – made it impossible for the meeting to continue.
On Powell’s account: “Twenty minutes into my address, which focused on geopolitical trends, members of the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign disrupted the event, making patently false allegations designed to harass and intimidate myself and attendees. A group of violent protestors surrounded the venue, and later attacked the car of a diplomat trying to evacuate the premises. Considering the potential threat to the safety of attendees, I was advised to leave the hall and sought refuge in an adjacent male-bathroom while law enforcement authorities made their way to the venue.”
According to SAIIA’s statement, “the presence of Ms Powell, given her and the DA’s position on the Israel-Palestine conflict, led to protests and a breakdown of the event due to security concerns”.
It also said of Powell: “We acknowledge that the speaker’s position on the Israel-Palestine conflict – which is a historical and significant issue within South Africa’s broader international relations – is at odds with the deeply held convictions of many in South Africa and the global community.”
It is unclear from the statement what specific offending “position” Powell and the DA had taken.
SAIIA added that the event was organised by its Western Cape branch, which made such arrangements independently.
In this context it pledged: “SAIIA is committed to fostering open and robust discussions on critical issues, recognising that diverse viewpoints are crucial to provide informed perspectives. In this instance, our Western Cape branch should have been sensitive to the context and ensured a diversity of viewpoints by including panellists across the political divide. We will be working with all our branches to ensure the inclusion of balanced perspectives in all future events.”
SAIIA did not explain why it would ensure a diversity among “panellists” in future, as this event was to feature a single speaker. SAIIA has hosted numerous such events over the years. It is unclear if it intends in future to decline to host single-speaker events.
While the organisation said that “(w)e deeply regret the situation that unfolded”, its statement contained no criticism of the conduct of the protesters.
In response, Powell noted that her presentation was not intended to address the Israel-Palestine conflict although she had indicated to the protesters that she would be willing to address their questions. (The invitation to the event contains no mention of these issues or of the Middle East.)
She commented: “I am deeply concerned by @SAIIA_info recent statement, which wilfully mischaracterises the events that unfolded at their event on May 7, 2025.
“I find it egregious that SAIIA’s statement misrepresents both my and the DA’s position on the conflict in which they claim that: ‘The presence of Ms Powell, given her and the DA’s position on the Israel-Palestine conflict, led to protests and a breakdown of the event due to security concerns.’
“The great irony of this statement is that the DA contracted the services of SAIIA to assist in developing our evidence-based position on this very conflict. It is an act of bad faith for SAIIA to now claim that ‘the speaker’s position on the Israel-Palestine conflict is at odds with the deeply held convictions of many in South Africa and the global community’.
“As an organisation committed to freedom of speech, SAIIA should hold the protestors that sought to violently disrupt a public event accountable, instead of seeking to blame their guest speaker for the traumatic events that unfolded.”
SAIIA is one of South Africa’s oldest think tanks, dating to the 1930s, and having provided high-quality research into and analysis of the country’s foreign affairs, and global events generally.
[Image: Emma Louise Powell https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-louise-powell-3377a4a2/?originalSubdomain=za]