Protesters gathered on Tuesday outside a court in South African, where a man who is accused of raping a 7-year-old girl in a restaurant appeared for a bail hearing, activists and officials told CNN.
Carrying placards with messages such as, "No bail for rape and murder," "Don't hurt us" and "Do not rape our sister," the demonstrators gathered outside the Pretoria Magistrate Court, where the suspect appeared for the second time in connection with the charges.
Dozens of bikers, some waving South Africa's national flag, also rode around the court premises shouting, "No bail!"
The 20-year-old man, who has not been named publicly, was denied bail and will remain in custody pending further investigation, the South African Police Service tweeted. His next hearing is November 1.
The accused has been charged with rape and drug possession, police have said. He has not entered a plea, South African Police Service spokesman Lt. Lungelo Dlamini told CNN on Tuesday.
The man was arrested on September 22, the date of the alleged crime, in Pretoria at Dros, a restaurant popular with families. He allegedly followed the girl to the restroom, grabbed her and raped her in the men's bathroom, according to police and local news reports.
South Africa's justice system must demonstrate "zero-tolerance" when prosecuting cases of sexual violence, especially those perpetrated against children, said Vincentia Dlamini, director of Johannesburg-based Women and Men Against Child Abuse. She and the police spokesman are not related, he said.
"We need life sentences, and those accused should not be given parole," Dlamini told CNN. "The justice system should protect the victim because not every child raped in South Africa will have the whole country protesting for justice in their case."
Last month, a 17-year-old girl who had just given birth at a hospital reportedly was raped by a man posing as a doctor. The incident happened at a hospital in the Eastern Cape province, authorities said.
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