The Persecuted Minority we’re supposed to ignore

OUR cousins from South Africa are facing persecution. So why aren’t they afforded the same compassion as other refugees, asks Miranda Devine.

SOUTH African farmers are being murdered, raped, and forced off their land as their government sanctions the confiscation of property from white people.

That’s persecution by anyone’s definition and we’ve seen enough of the tragedy of Zimbabwe to know what comes next.

Yet white South African farmers don’t qualify as refugees in Australia. They are the persecuted minority we have to ignore because of the colour of their skin.

LISTEN: Miranda Devine speaks to Kevin Bailey, Sharri Markson and more on Miranda Live.

Do we hear a peep from Peter Dutton or Julie Bishop? Nope. If it was compassionate to admit an extra 12,000 Syrians on the strength of a single photo of a dead toddler on a beach, surely the pictures and stories of bashed and terrified South Africans published this week by Paul Toohey and Gary Ramage mean something.

Yet there’s silence from the organisations which usually hammer us about our moral failures. Toohey asked the Human Rights Commission, The Refugee Council of Australia, Australian Lawyers for Human Rights…. Not interested.

Three intruders assaulted an elderly man on his small land holding outside of Pretoria, South Africa, in the early hours on 9 February.

This is a rancid betrayal of Australians who thus far have backed a generous refugee program that favours Muslim and African refugees because it is our duty as good global citizens to help the oppressed.

But if our oppressed white, Christian, industrious, rugby and cricket-playing Commonwealth cousins from South Africa, who would integrate seamlessly, are not afforded the same compassion and taxpayer largesse, it will undermine our entire immigration program. It will make people suspect it’s designed deliberately to change Australian culture.

Fairness says South African farmers need our help.

@mirandadevine