"Activists rallied in Johannesburg on Friday, amid of this year's 'MakeAmazonPay' action, as they accused the tech giant of 'crimes against humanity' and destroying land considered sacred by the Khoi and San peoples. Footage shows Khoisan community members holding a spiritual ritual before their chief and other speakers addressed supporters inside a tent pitched in an open field at Eldorado Park. The annual protest, organised by the 'Save Our Sacred Lands' campaign and themed 'Blood Friday', used the global shopping day to spotlight opposition to Amazon's planned African headquarters and mall at the Black River in Cape Town, a site widely regarded by Indigenous leaders as central to their heritage and the scene of early Dutch-Khoi conflict. "Today is Black Friday, but for us it's Blood Friday, because we are going to be speaking of the crimes against humanity that Amazon is committing," said activist July Eccles. In his turn, Save Our Sacred Lands spokesperson Shafiek Gassant accused Amazon of driving modern-day colonisation. "What Amazon is doing is complicit in the further colonisation of our people," he said. "They are building on our heritage site at the Black River Club, the very place Jan van Riebeeck first came and stole land from our people in 1652." Gassant also claimed activists have faced intimidation for opposing the project and criticised the City of Cape Town for allowing development on land the Khoisan consider sacred. "We have taken this case to court to say that we, as the Khoisan people, we do not recognise the people who claim to represent us," he said. Protesters also linked Amazon's business operations to global conflicts, alleging that the company provides cloud technology supporting Israeli military systems in Gaza as well as surveillance infrastructure used by governments and security agencies. "They provide the tech for the Israeli occupation forces. They provide the tech that surveils Palestinians and controls their movements. And, they provide the back end for the military," Eccles said. "Amazon's crimes against humanity span across the world, and they’re profiteering from it." The River Club development, set to host Amazon's African headquarters, has been tied up in legal battles since 2021. Despite opposition from Indigenous groups, the City of Cape Town confirmed in 2023 that construction would proceed following a court ruling and a settlement with one of the main civic organisations."