President Donald Trump’s State Department, which previously cut funding for initiatives that recorded abuses and safeguarded human rights overseas, is presently providing one of its inaugural human rights awards to a South African organization that is mired in controversy due to its advocacy of the contentious belief that white farmers are a group that is systematically persecuted and victimized. The award, totaling nearly $33 million, is slated to be bestowed upon AfriForum, a nonprofit organization that champions the interests of Afrikaners, a particular segment of South Africa’s white populace, according to several sources well-versed in the funding details. The group claims that its members, who possess a “divine mission,” strive for the welfare of Afrikaner people and their autonomy. The funds will be allocated to record hostile speech and violent actions against Afrikaners and other minority groups in the nation. This newly introduced accolade emanates from a division within the State Department that is dedicated to advancing democracy and human rights on a global scale. Until the previous year, the majority of the funds were allocated to impoverished and dictatorial countries – to counteract corruption in the Democratic Republic of Congo, for instance, or to combat child exploitation and sexual abuse in Afghanistan. Under Trump’s tenure, his appointees have significantly altered the bureau by reducing its staff, eliminating programs, and redirecting funds towards conservative initiatives in Europe. Samuel Samson, a Trump-appointed deputy assistant secretary at the State Department bureau, has expressed that the U.S. possesses a “civilizational” link to Afrikaners, who are mainly descended from Dutch settlers and predominantly converse in Afrikaans. Since Samson joined the administration last year, he has met with far-right European leaders. He has justified the U.S. government’s financial assistance for Afrikaners based on “a shared past, a joint culture, a similar lifestyle, a mutual history, and ultimately a common human nature.” On the left, Samson serves as the deputy assistant secretary of state for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor at the Bureau. He engages in a dialogue with Ernst Roets at a Lex Libertas press conference. Lex Libertas can be accessed through the YouTube platform.
