by Rolene Marks
“It is disturbing that only Israeli athletes were singled out for harassment," the South African Jewish Board of Deputies says.
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Runners take part in the 89 kilometres Comrades
Marathon between Pietermaritzburg and Durban on June 8, 2025. The annual
marathon this year attracted close to 19,000 runners from around the
world. Photo by RAJESH JANTILAL/AFP via Getty Images. |
Half a dozen Israeli runners who participated in the annual Comrades Marathon in South Africa on Sunday, June 8, were harassed during the race by members of the ANC Youth League for the province of KwaZulu-Natal (ANCYL-KZN).
Prior to the marathon, their names and race numbers were made public in a statement released by the ANCYL-KZN. The statement also called for the exclusion of Israeli runners.
The Comrades Marathon is the world’s oldest ultramarathon and was named to honor the camaraderie among the diverse participants. The 2025 Comrades Marathon attracted some 19,000 runners from more than 80 countries. The race is run in the province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) from the city of Pietermaritzburg to Durban.
Members of the ANCYL KZN, draped in or waving Palestinian flags, tracked and pestered the runners as they ran. Some carried signs accusing Israel of “war crimes” and others yelled abuse such as “Down, down Israel, you are not welcome here; this is not your land. Go home!”
The @MYANC @ANCYLhq published names and badge numbers of Israeli participants in @ComradesRace. They then tracked and harassed them.
— Howard Feldman (@HowardFeldman) June 9, 2025
@GaytonMcK, would love your thoughts.. pic.twitter.com/ClrJWonJMR
The ANCYL KZN had called on the Comrades Marathon organizers to “reverse” their decision to allow Israelis to compete and then published their names and race numbers, which made it easy for them to be tracked while running.
It said in a statement, “Symbolic acts on international solidarity must translate into tangible actions. Allowing representatives of an apartheid state to participate in an event as iconic and morally significant as the Comrades Marathon sends a dangerous and conflicting message, one that undermines the very principles this race has come to embody such as unity, sacrifice and justice.”
The South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) condemned “the scenes of anti-Israel protestors tracking and harassing Israeli runners during the Comrades Marathon,” adding, “We are equally dismayed by the ANCYL in KwaZulu-Natal’s statement calling for the exclusion of Israeli athletes, identified by name and race number, to facilitate targeted harassment. This is a form of doxing, which is reprehensible.”
The SAJBD said in a statement, “It is disturbing that only Israeli athletes were singled out for harassment, despite the presence of participants from nations with ongoing conflicts and serious human rights concerns, such as Russia. The harassment of these athletes exemplifies the anti-Israeli movement’s unwanted and unconstitutional exploitation of public spaces to antagonize and intimidate those who challenge its narrow political bent. These theatrical displays make no contribution toward improving or saving a single life in Gaza.”
“Let us rather adhere to the Comrade Marathon’s spirit of inclusive participation and respect for diversity,” it added.
The Comrades Marathon organizers declined to comment.
Rolene Marks
Source: https://www.jns.org/israeli-runners-harassed-at-south-africas-comrades-marathon/
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