The Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement in South Africa said it is aware of the allegations of sexual harassment against the organisation’s director Muhammed Desai. This week, Daily Vox reported that US academic Sang Hea Kil had laid a charge against Desai on Sunday. She alleged that there had been several physical advances by Desai during an encounter in Mellville in Johannesburg last Thursday.

BDS spokesperson Tisetso Magama said they are taking the matter seriously.

“In dealing with the matter, we will take into consideration the rights of all those involved,” he told VOC News on Friday.

According to the Daily Vox article, three women have made sexual harassment claims against Desai. However, BDS said it was only aware of the one charge.

It’s believed that Kil and other international delegates had been in South Africa for a Palestine conference and then ran into Desai and his colleague at a restaurant in Mellville on Thursday night. During the interaction, she claimed Desai had given her a shoulder massage, which left her feeling uncomfortable.

Kil claimed she had resisted Desai’s physical advances during their interaction that night, and despite attempts to move outside the restaurant and even switch seats with her friend, he was not getting the signal.

“I repeatedly tried to avoid his attention, and moved my location from inside, outside, inside again to dodge his sexual harassment,” she told the Daily Vox.

It was at a meeting at the Afro-Middle East Centre (Amec) on Saturday night that the three women again encountered Desai and apparently confronted him. The complainants demanded that Desai apologise for the alleged indiscretions and they further called on BDS to investigate the complaints.

In response, Magama told VOC News that the board of BDS needed to convene on the matter before an official comment could be given.

In a statement, the Palestine Solidarity Alliance (PSA), a close affiliate of BDS, said it was cognisant of the “gravity” that this matter has on the pro-Palestinian movement in general and BDS South Africa.

“We thus trust that the BDS-SA board will follow the due processes and act swiftly and fairly on this matter,” said the PSA.

It added that all forms of sexual harassment must not be tolerated in the movement and that the victims of such abuse must and will be supported. It is critical that the solidarity space in which people work must be safe for all activists, it said.

“As human rights activists, we will speak out against all injustices and will continue in our solidarity efforts to build a strong BDS movement that will assist in the liberation of Palestine. At this stage we will await the outcome of BDS-SA’s internal processes as well as that of the courts,” PSA concluded.

VOC