Johannesburg — The protest march at the University of Witwatersrand was not organised intentionally to coincide with the Jewish New Year (Yom Kippur), the Union of Muslim Student Association (U-MSA) said yesterday.

Chanting anti-US and anti-Israeli slogans, about 350 students at the university marched on the campus to protest against US President George Bush's "war talk". Slogans such as "The Zionist must go" and "Phansi (down with) Israel" were chanted while the students, most of whom are members of the U-MSA, carried banners saying "Arrest Sharon the war criminal" and waved Palestinian flags.

Former U-MSA president Muhamed Nanabhay addressed the students before the march, saying it would highlight unwarranted attacks against any Muslims and people who looked Arabic in the wake of the September 11 attacks in the US. "There was no intention of offending anyone by having the march on that date," Nanabhay said.

He also said the march was a protest against US sanctions against Iraq.

"We must all respect human rights and Americans are the first people who need to understand this," Nanabhay said.

Water-bombs were thrown at members of U-MSA who had gathered at the university's Great Hall after the protest march.

Nanabhay said the incident, in which condoms filled with water were thrown at the marchers, was proof that there were people at the university who were against freedom of expression.

He also accused the US of "complete hypocrisy" in walking out of the World Conference Against Racism in Durban earlier this month and said Zionism was a form of racism.