Ebrahim Rasool, the South African ambassador to the US, received a warm welcome upon his return to South Africa after being expelled by the Trump administration. The expulsion followed Rasool's criticisms of Trump's policies, which he described as reflecting a supremacist instinct. At the airport, he expressed pride in facing adversity, stating he would wear his expulsion as a badge of dignity. He emphasized the need to improve US-South Africa relations while defending his nation's stance on international issues, notably its case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
A declaration of persona non grata is meant to humiliate you. But when you return to crowds like this... I will wear my persona non grata as a badge of dignity.
It is important for South Africa to fix its relationship with the US... We are not here to call on you to throw away our interests with the United States.
We will resist pressure to drop our case against US ally Israel at the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
Rasool’s remarks on Trump’s movement being a ‘supremacist instinct’ triggered backlash leading to his expulsion and highlighted tensions regarding diversity and equity.
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