The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) is fundamentally opposed to the decision of the Judicial Services Commission that is attempting to silence Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng  and remove his constitutional right of freedom of expression. Freedom of belief and freedom of speech have come under threat and it is imperative that all freedom-loving South Africans speak out against this type of institutional cancel culture.

We fully support the right of Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng to express his Christian convictions and support for peace in the Holy Land and we denounce those who are mischievously misinterpreting his message towards their hateful agenda.

His message has been one of love for all people caught up in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. His message has been balanced and entirely fair. His message has been one of hope for a peaceful resolution to the conflict and his expressed desire to see our country, South Africa, play a mediating role in achieving this peace is something we fully support. Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng should be applauded for his impartial and unprejudiced stance.

The remarks the our Chief Justice made were legitimate and in no way controversial. It is therefore regrettable that some have chosen to twist events in an antagonistic manner and create a storm that has no substance to it.  This kind of calumny actually exacerbates divisions and increases religious and social tensions both at home and in Israel.  It does not promote peace.

We live in a constitutional democracy which means that as a devout Christian, the Chief Justice right to express his views are protected. Any attempt to abrogate this constitutional freedom should cause all peace and freedom loving South Africans to be most wary and alarmed.

The ICEJ stands firmly in support of Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng and fully supports his message of love, hope and peace. We demand that as South Africans, our freedoms of religion, speech and expression remain protected and in place under our Constitution.

We, the ICEJ SA branch, launched co-ordinated a petition between ourselves, Bridges for Peace and SAFI in 2020 to show a support for our Chief Justice. The petition has been re-activated and is garnering good support presently with over 117 000 signatures. We ask all those who support Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng right to freedom of speech and opinion to please pray for him and to also sign and share the petition widely so that we can make a strong stand against this unacceptable attack on him and on our own constitutional rights in SA.

We have received hundreds of messages of support from all over South Africa for our Chief Justice and will be handing them over to his office at the Constitutional Court during the week, in a show of solidarity with him.

Please sign the petition to support the Chief Justice: https://www.change.org/p/president-cyril-ramaphosa-support-chief-justice-mogoeng-mogoeng-our-christian-faith-and-south-africa-s-constitution