Crispin Sonn, the chairperson of Bishops Diocesan Colleges prestigious Council in Cape Town, has resigned with immediate effect following controversy surrounding a Facebook post he made about the Israel-Palestine conflict, Cape town Etc reports.
The post, which was widely deemed as offensive, led to sharp criticism from various quarters, including the Cape South African Jewish Board of Deputies. Daniel Bloch, the Executive Director of the Board, condemned the comment as unacceptable, offensive, and egregious, accusing Sonn of making a harmful comparison between Zionists and Adolf Hitler, which Bloch argued was disrespectful to the memory of the Holocaust and defamatory to the Jewish community.
Sonn's apology, which followed the backlash, was seen by many as insufficient. Bloch noted that Sonn had failed to apologize for the offensive nature of his comments, focusing instead on suggesting that readers had misinterpreted his words. Bloch also criticised the insinuation that Zionists were racists and accused them of dehumanising others, calling these statements insulting and incorrect.
In the aftermath, Rina King, a teacher and member of South African Jews for a Free Palestine, criticized the response from Bishops as stifling free expression. She argued that silencing individuals for expressing views on such complex issues undermines academic and intellectual freedom, a sentiment echoed by Chris Nissen from the South African Human Rights Commission. Nissen emphasized that Sonn, like anyone, had the right to express his views, though he acknowledged that whether or not those views represented the school or its governing body was another matter.
Despite these debates around freedom of expression, the pressure against Sonn mounted, and he ultimately stepped down from his role. However, given the intensity of the backlash, it could be argued that his resignation was a result of being forced out rather than a voluntary decision.
