An Afrikaner lobby group has displayed thousands of white crosses on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., stating that they represent victims of what it describes as a genocide of white people in South Africa.

South Africa's new ambassador to the United States, Roelf Meyer, has rejected the claim. He stated that a mass attack on the white Afrikaner minority in South Africa does not exist.

The display comes as the Trump administration is planning to admit up to 17,500 additional white Afrikaners as refugees over the next 12 months. The plan was outlined in a notice sent to Congress on Tuesday.

The move has drawn attention to the broader debate over the status and safety of white Afrikaners in South Africa, and the role the United States government has chosen to play in amplifying or responding to those claims.