Violent disruption averted, anti-migrant activists vow to sustain pressure
Police and march marshals are largely credited with maintaining order during the “30 June” demonstrations yesterday and preventing what many feared would be disruptive violence – but Jacinta Ngobese, leader of the March and March group which had set the “deadline” for undocumented foreigners to leave the country, vowed to hold weekly marches until their objectives were met. She told supporters in Durban: “For the next six months, we are asking for our national resources to be used to take the illegal immigrants out of this country. From building to building – they must go.” Amnesty International’s spokesperson Genevieve Quintal warned that while “[p]eaceful protest is a fundamental human right… violence, intimidation, harassment, criminality, and self-appointed ‘enforcement’ of the law is unacceptable and has no place in our society”. She noted that while the country’s failing immigration systems that left thousands undocumented and living in limbo was a contributory factor, anger driving the protests stemmed from deeper social and economic challenges, creating conditions where misinformation and scapegoating could thrive. She is quoted as saying: “These events should not be seen as an isolated moment. Without urgent action to address the root causes, they risk signalling the beginning of further escalation.”
US Supreme Court upholds birthright citizenship
In a 6-3 decision, the US Supreme Court has rejected President Donald Trump’s bid to end the 150-year-old policy that babies born in the US have a constitutional right to citizenship. Chief Justice John Roberts ruled that children born in the US “to parents unlawfully or temporarily present” are “citizens at birth” under the 14th amendment. The decision, welcomed by civil rights groups, is considered a major setback for Trump’s immigration agenda, though the President was evidently undeterred, saying in a social media post that lawmakers should create new legislation to establish exceptions to birthright citizenship for children born to parents who do not have permanent legal status in the US. “Congress should start TODAY to work on ending expensive and unfair to our Country, Birthright Citizenship”. Trump adviser and architect of his immigration plan, Stephen Miller, called the ruling “one of the most destructive and outrageous decisions” in the history of the supreme court.
Biological sex can determine sports team eligibility, US Supreme Court rules
In another key ruling – one of several in the closing days of the court’s term – the Supreme Court has ruled that schools can determine eligibility for women’s and girls’ sports teams based on biological sex. This is regarded as effectively upholding a ban on transgender women and girls from taking part in female sports teams. The court’s three liberal justices said in a dissenting opinion that the bans impeded the Constitution’s equal protection clause. The ruling centered on the case of Lindsay Hecox, a college student in Idaho, and Becky Pepper-Jackson, a 15-year-old high school student from West Virginia. The court said that West Virginia and Idaho did not violate Title IX – which bars educational programmes that receive federal funding from discriminating based on sex.
Right-wing extremism on rise in Germany, intelligence service warns
The greatest threat to German democracy are right-wing extremists, whose number grew by more than 8,000 last year to 58,700, says head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) Sinan Selen. Selen said German democracy was under “practically permanent attack” from both inside and outside. Intelligence activities against Germany originated primarily from Russia, China and Iran, the BfV report said. Among right-wing extremists within the country identified by the BfV, 5,600 were estimated to have a propensity for violence. The agency said the increase in the number of right-wing extremists was largely due to the growth of the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, whose membership grew to 70,000 in 2025.
“No security where there are no settlements” – Smotrich
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said during a visit to the southern city of Sderot that Israel was ready to begin building three Jewish settlements in the northern part of the Gaza Strip once “we receive the green light from the prime minister,” arguing that “there’s no security where there are no settlements”. The far-right minister is quoted as saying that “the IDF currently holds nearly 70 percent of the Gaza Strip. We must complete the conquest of the remaining territory, defeat Hamas and establish a belt of Jewish settlements that will serve as a security buffer”.
Sources: Business Day, News24, BBC, The Guardian, Haaretz, Reuters