Antisemitic Posts Surface on Afrikaner Refugee Charl Kleinhaus’ Social Media

Charl Kleinhaus—one of 59 Afrikaners or white South Africans granted refugee status under the Trump administration—has come under fire after a series of antisemitic posts were discovered on his X (formerly Twitter) account. Kleinhaus’ arrival at Washington Dulles International Airport on May 12, alongside the other Afrikaners granted refugee status, was swiftly overshadowed by controversy after a series of X posts surfaced this week, revealing what appeared to be his antisemitic views toward Jewish people and inflammatory remarks about immigrants.

According to The Guardian, in 2023, Kleinhaus, 46, posted on X that Jewish people were “untrustworthy and a dangerous group.” In another post shared in the fall of 2024, he re-posted a white nationalist YouTube video—since removed—titled: “‘We’ll shoot ILLEGAL Immigrants!’ – Poland’s Illegal Islamic Immigrant Solution,” punctuated with clapping emojis. Other posts from Kleinhaus promoted the conspiracy theory that white South Africans face targeted persecution—a narrative that has been embraced by President Trump and far-right circles alike.

During an interview with BBC on Thursday, Kleinhaus confirmed that he was the owner of the account behind the antisemitic and racist content. While he denied being antisemitic, he claimed that one of the posts was copied from someone else and written while he was on morphine for medical treatment, though he acknowledged that was not an excuse. 

Defending his controversial remarks about the Jewish community, Kleinhaus claimed his 2023 post was written in anger after viewing an unverified video that allegedly showed Jewish individuals spitting at Christians in Israel. He insisted that his comments were not a direct insult aimed at the Jewish community as a whole. 

“Even now, if I see any person going against my religion, I will speak up against it,” he said.

Kleinhaus and Afrikaner refugees were allowed to settle in the US over claims of “racial discrimination” in South Africa.

Kleinhaus, an Afrikaner farmer from South Africa’s Mpumalanga Province, arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport on May 12 alongside 58 other Afrikaners granted refugee status under the Trump administration. Under an executive order from the president, the group was admitted based on claims of “unjust racial discrimination” in South Africa, although officials from the country have denied such accusations. Notably, white South Africans still hold 10 times the wealth of their Black counterparts, as NewsOne writer Tiffany Hamilton previously cited.

President Trump’s executive order came one month after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Expropriation Act in January. The law allows the government to seize unused or privately owned land without compensation in certain cases, when it is deemed “equitable and in the public interest,” BBC noted. 

While the South African government says no land has yet been expropriated, the act aims to address deep-rooted land inequality stemming from apartheid. Per NBC News, according to Action for Southern Africa, white South Africans—who make up only 7.3% of the population—own 72% of farms and agricultural holdings, while Black South Africans, representing over 81% of the population, own just 4%.

Kleinhaus claimed the law had direct personal consequences for himself and his family. He alleges that anti-Afrikaner sentiment has intensified, citing damage to his farm equipment and a lack of police response. He also alleged that he received death threats through WhatsApp, including one message that read, “’We’ll get rid of you, you’re on my land.’” 

Afrikaners, the white ethnic group that ruled South Africa during apartheid until its end in 1994, continue to own a disproportionate share of the country’s prime farmland. While Kleinhaus believes he has been unfairly targeted, he acknowledges the historical injustices Black South Africans have endured and the widespread frustration over the slow progress of land reform more than three decades later. Still, he insists he should not be blamed, stating he had “nothing to do with apartheid.”

Telling.

SEE ALSO: 

America Welcomes Afrikaner ‘Refugees’ to Rescue Whiteness

South Africa’s New Special Envoy To The US Called Trump A Racist