Protect Pagan rights and dignity
- by: South African Pagan Council
- recipient: South African Press Ombudsman and the Sunday Tribune
The Sunday Tribune – a weekend paper in South Africa has callously used the word ‘witch’ to describe and ridicule a convicted murderer guilty of both murder and the dismembering of a person in their story titled: Graveyard Monster: In the footsteps of the Welkom witch.
The South African Press Ombudsman, Joe Thloloe seems to believe that even in cases of non fiction, it is permissible to portray any witch as a murderer in the South African media, whether the person being portrayed as such is a real witch or not. He ruled that the Sunday Tribune had the right to call convicted murderer Charne van Heerden a witch.
Pagans and other affiliated supporters disagree with Thloloe and the Sunday Tribune by signing this petition.
We would like to make it clear that it is unacceptable and callous to portray a word or term connected to a religious belief as murderous and in a negative light. As an example, Christian murderers are never singled out by their religion. There is also no evidence to suggest Charne van Heerden was a real Witch so their reporting is in essence inaccurate.
We appeal to the Press Ombudsman to change his attitude towards the peace loving, nature based Pagan religions since it seems he is denying the right to dignity of an entire religious minority in South Africa.
We would also like to appeal to the Sunday Tribune to realise its irresponsibility in using the word witch because men, women and children in South Africa are still burned or killed in their beds in some rural areas due unjustified witch-hunts. This must be stopped and the Sunday Tribune is only fuelling the fire of these heinous crimes.
We must protect our dignity as a religious minority – sign this petition for the protection of innocent men, women and children, the protection of religious minorities and the education of the press with regards to real Witchcraft, Witches and Paganism. We cannot allow a freethinking and increasingly liberal society regress into the oppressive horrors of the past.
The South African Press Ombudsman, Joe Thloloe seems to believe that even in cases of non fiction, it is permissible to portray any witch as a murderer in the South African media, whether the person being portrayed as such is a real witch or not. He ruled that the Sunday Tribune had the right to call convicted murderer Charne van Heerden a witch.
Pagans and other affiliated supporters disagree with Thloloe and the Sunday Tribune by signing this petition.
We would like to make it clear that it is unacceptable and callous to portray a word or term connected to a religious belief as murderous and in a negative light. As an example, Christian murderers are never singled out by their religion. There is also no evidence to suggest Charne van Heerden was a real Witch so their reporting is in essence inaccurate.
We appeal to the Press Ombudsman to change his attitude towards the peace loving, nature based Pagan religions since it seems he is denying the right to dignity of an entire religious minority in South Africa.
We would also like to appeal to the Sunday Tribune to realise its irresponsibility in using the word witch because men, women and children in South Africa are still burned or killed in their beds in some rural areas due unjustified witch-hunts. This must be stopped and the Sunday Tribune is only fuelling the fire of these heinous crimes.
We must protect our dignity as a religious minority – sign this petition for the protection of innocent men, women and children, the protection of religious minorities and the education of the press with regards to real Witchcraft, Witches and Paganism. We cannot allow a freethinking and increasingly liberal society regress into the oppressive horrors of the past.
We the undersigned hereby submit this petition against your attitude towards religious minorities in South Africa with specific reference to Paganism and Witchcraft.
We appeal to the Press Ombudsman and the Sunday Tribune newspaper to realise that the term Witch is actually connected to a peaceful, nature based religion with a strict code of positive morals and not a murderous one.
We further request that no offensive connotations be made with reference to the word Witch or any other religious word or term.
In conclusion we humbly request that you - the Sunday Tribune exercise consideration in future when using certain words to create an attention-grabbing headline. Thank you for taking the time to read our letter and consider our petition.
Sign PetitionSign PetitionWe appeal to the Press Ombudsman and the Sunday Tribune newspaper to realise that the term Witch is actually connected to a peaceful, nature based religion with a strict code of positive morals and not a murderous one.
We further request that no offensive connotations be made with reference to the word Witch or any other religious word or term.
In conclusion we humbly request that you - the Sunday Tribune exercise consideration in future when using certain words to create an attention-grabbing headline. Thank you for taking the time to read our letter and consider our petition.
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