We went into sharpeville the back way, behind a grey police car and three saracens. The sharpeville protests began over south africas pass laws, which required black south africans to carry passbooks with them any time they traveled out of their designated home areas. Sharpeville massacre, 21 march 1960 south african history online. Magazine article history today remembering sharpeville. Apr 04, 2020 news long reads how the sharpeville massacre changed the course of human rights. After a day of demonstrations against pass laws, a crowd of about 7,000 protesters went to the police station.
Mar 14, 2020 sharpeville massacre, incident in the black township of sharpeville, near vereeniging, south africa, on march 21 1960, in which police fired on a crowd of black people, killing or wounding some 250 of them. George wallace, the origins of the new conservatism, and the transformation of american po. Tom lodges compelling account of what happened in the early 1960s and what the. Marz 1960 zu gewaltfreien demonstrationen in sharpeville, rund 50. Sharpeville massacre, march 21, 1960, incident in the black township of sharpeville, near vereeniging, south africa, in which police fired on a crowd of black people, killing or wounding some 250 of. On march 21, 1960, a line of 150 white policemen fired 44 rounds into a crowd of several thousand people assembled outside a police station, protesting against the apartheid regimes racist pass laws. Sep 03, 2019 the sharpeville massacre, which occurred on march 21, 1960, in the township of sharpeville, south africa, was the incident that to that point resulted in the deaths of the largest number of south africans in a protest against apartheid. To really find out what happened in 1960, our indepth 1960 timeline is below, and if youre interested in the way that these 1960 events were reported at the time, check out our selection of 1960 newspapers. On march 21, 1960, a line of 150 white policemen fired 44 rounds into a crowd of several thousand people assembled outside a police.
When the news of the sharpeville massacre reached cape town a group of between to 5000 protestors gathered at the langa flats bus terminus around 17h00 on 21 march 1960. Nelson mandela burns his pass in protest of apartheid and the massacre at sharpeville, 1960. On 16 march 1960, robert subukwe, leader of the pan african congress a liberation movement or pac, informed the commissioner of police that his organization would embark on. Its been 60 years since dozens of protesters were killed at. At some stage all hell will break loose half a century after massacre that shifted course of south african history, township is still bristling with anger audio. Named after the glaswegian immigrant john lillie sharp, sharpeville is a township about 30 miles south of johannesburg. A total of 69 people were killed including 8 women and 10 children, and 180 people were injured, including 31 women and 19 children. The killing of 69 black south africans on march 21st, 1960 was a turning point. This paper is published at the request of the united nations special commaittee against apartheid as part of the observance of the international day for the elimination of racial discrimination. The demonstrators were protesting against the south african governments restriction. Sharpeville massacre, march 21, 1960, incident in the black township of sharpeville, near vereeniging,south africa, in which police fired on a crowd of blacks, killing or wounding some 250 of them. Sharpeville massacre, march 21, 1960, incident in the black township of.
Littlehampton book services, durrington 1960, isbn 0575011491. Early in 1960 both the anc and pac embarked on a feverish drive to prepare their. On 21 march 1960 several hundred black africans were injured and 69 killed when south african police opened fire. Womens resistance in the 1960s sharpeville and its aftermath.
News long reads how the sharpeville massacre changed the course of human rights. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Sharpeville massacre, 21 march 1960 south african history. Sixtynine people were killed and close to 200 injured in the demonstrations. Sharpeville massacre takes place in south africa, pass laws were used to restrict the movement of blacks by requiring them to carry pass books when they travel outside their homeland.
How the sharpeville massacre changed the course of human. The sharpeville massacre in 1960 began by blacks protesting the pass laws. A surgeon gave evidence at a judicial inquiry following the. The sharpeville massacre was when a crowd of between 5,0007,000 black people protested at the police station in sharpeville, south africa on march 21, 1960. The sharpeville massacre the sharpeville massacre cmhr. The south african government passed a law that said they could arrest without a warrant, which made it easy to arrest nelson mandela. The reconstruction and rewriting of histories about the sharpeville massacre which occurred on 21 march 1960, and the reconstitution of that day as a historical and a depoliticised human rights day, is but one of many examples of this unfortunate political bias and narrow approach to the telling of history. Sixtynine men, women and children died and at least 180 were injured when police fired at a. In similar demonstrations at the police station in vanderbijlpark, another person was shot. Sixtynine protesters died, and the massacre became an iconic moment in the struggle against apartheid. The savage massacre of african patriots at sharpeville and other places in south africa on 21 march 1960 is of paramount significance in the struggle against apartheid and needs to be understood in its historical scope.
On march 21, 1960, police officers in a black township in south africa opened fire on a group of people peacefully protesting oppressive pass laws, killing 69. On march 21, 1960, a line of 150 white policemen fired 44 rounds into a crow. On 16 march 1960, sobukwe wrote to the commissioner of police, major general rademeyer, stating that the pac would be holding a fiveday, nonviolent, disciplined, and sustained protest campaign against pass laws, starting on 21 march. May 04, 2017 seven out of ten shot in the back at sharpeville archive, 1960 4 may 1960. Black people were forcibly relocated here and in 1960 it had only two tarred. It was one of the first and most violent demonstrations against apartheid in south africa. First, the government declared a state of emergency and detained around 2,000 people. In the black township of sharpeville, near johannesburg, south africa, afrikaner police open fire on a group of unarmed black south african demonstrators, killing 69 people and wounding 180 in a hail of submachinegun fire. This 1960 timeline lists all the important events that may have been forgotten over the past 50 years.
Click download or read online button to get sharpeville book now. On 1 april 1960, the united nations security council passed resolution 4. Sharpeville is much more than the site of a massacre the. Media in category sharpeville massacre the following 4 files are in this category, out of 4 total. Berry captured a pivotal moment in south african history. Mar 21, 2019 now a public holiday, march 21 marks human rights day in south africa, commemorating the sharpeville massacre of 1960, which became a catalyst in the fight against apartheid. Seven out of ten shot in the back at sharpeville archive, 1960 4 may 1960. When the news of the sharpeville massacre reached cape town a group of between to 5000 protesters gathered at the langa flats bus terminus around 17h00 on 21 march 1960. Mar 21, 2018 today, in presentday south africa, march 21, is celebrated as a public holiday in honor of human rights and to commemorate the sharpeville massacre. On march 21, 1960, 3,000 black south africans gathered to protest one of the most hated restrictions against the nations black majority. Of the top location residents, blacks were moved to sharpeville, coloureds to rustervaal and indians to roshnee.
Lodges study of the sharpeville massacre is a meticulous but overstuffed history of the 1960 clash between black protestors and white policemen in the south african township of sharpeville, which left 67 protestors dead and nearly 200 wounded, most shot in the back while running away. The anc was outlawed, and nonviolence movements ended. Relying on fascinating archival testimonies of demonstrators but little from the police lodge explains that the protests had been. A surgeon gave evidence at a judicial inquiry following the fatal shooting of protestors by police in a south african. In 1960 blacks formed outside a police station in sharpeville to protest the pass laws they burnt their reference books the police opened fire on the crowd 67 demonstrators were killed the anc was outlawed this ended the nonviolence movements an underground organization sprung up that engaged in terrorist attacks against symbolic targets. Now a public holiday, march 21 marks human rights day in south africa, commemorating the sharpeville massacre of 1960, which became a catalyst in.
After sharpeville, south africas government had become increasingly isolated, but the government refused to abandon its policies of apartheid and racial discrimination. With the implementation of the apartheid governments group areas act 21 of 1950, it was estimated that over 3. This weekend it is exactly 55 years since the name of this small place reverberated around the world. In the black township of sharpeville, near johannesburg, south africa, afrikaner police open fire on a group of unarmed black south african. The sharpeville massacre occurred on 21 march 1960, at the police station in the south african. May 12, 2011 the events at sharpeville deeply affected the attitudes of both black and white in south africa and provided a major stimulus to the development of an international antiapartheid movement. On march 21, 1960, south african police officers opened fire on a crowd of black protesters who had surrounded a police station in sharpeville, killing 69 people. Then there is sharpeville, a massacre that was waiting to happen, one of those events that define the history of a people. While sharpeville is a long book, it is well sustained by its strengths. On 21 march 1960 the police shot and killed 69 people because they stood up for their human rights. In sharpeville, tom lodge explains how and why the massacre occurred, looking at the social and political background to the events of march 1960 as well as the.
The south african police opened fire on the crowd, killing. Sharpeville marked a turning point in south africas history. The book is especially compelling when it focuses on the local history and politics of sharpeville, and overall. Sharpeville, initially built to move top location residents further away from vereeniging, was established in 1935 during the mayorship of john lille sharpe. During the 1950s the anc had a minimal presence in sharpeville, but at the end of the decade there was some support there for the recently formed pac. List of victims of police action, 21 march, 1960 sharpeville and langa pass laws and sharpeville massacre. The book is especially compelling when it focuses on the local history and.
Sharpeville hardcover tom lodge oxford university press. If ever the world needed to make up its mind about apartheid, the sharpeville massacre exposed it for what it was. Sharpeville marked unquestionably a turning point in the struggle for liberation in azania. This was in direct defiance of the governments countrywide ban on public meetings and gatherings of more than ten persons.
Sep 14, 2017 berry captured a pivotal moment in south african history. On march 21, 1960, a line of white policemen outside the sharpevilles police station fired 44 rounds into the crowd gathered in the public square. Its been 60 years since dozens of protesters were killed at a peaceful antiapartheid rally in south africa. On march 21, 1960, police in sharpeville, south africa, shot hundreds of people protesting laws that restricted the movement of blacks. March 21st is human rights day in south africa and marks a very important event in the countrys history. Apartheid was firmly rooted in south africas colonial history. May 03, 2020 on 21 march 1960 police opened fire on members of the pan africanist congress pac protesting peacefully in the south african township of sharpeville against apartheids iniquitous pass laws. Mar 18, 2015 sharpeville is one of the oldest townships in southern gautengs vaal triangle. On this day, in 1960 a large group of people converged on the police square in sharpeville, gauteng, to protest the law that black people had to carry passbooks. Participants were instructed to surrender their reference books passes and invite arrest.
During the sharpeville massacre in 1960 a number of blacks came together outside a police station to protest the pass law. The sharpeville massacre was an event which occurred on 21 march 1960, at the police station in the south african township of sharpeville in transvaal today part of gauteng. Dec 31, 2019 immediately following the sharpeville massacre in south africa, over students demonstrated in sydney against the apartheid system. Mar 21, 2012 on march 21, 1960, south african police officers opened fire on a crowd of black protesters who had surrounded a police station in sharpeville, killing 69 people. The gunfire left in its wake sixtyseven dead and one hundred and eighty six wounded. On march 21, 1960, at a police station in the south african township of sharpeville in transvaal now part of gauteng, following a day of demonstrations, police opened fire on a crowd of around 5,000 to 7,000 protestors. In sharpeville, tom lodge explains how and why the massacre occurred, looking at the social and political background to the events of march 1960, as well. Eyewitness accounts of the sharpeville massacre 1960. The anniversary of the sharpeville massacre is remembered the world over every march 21 on the international day for the elimination of racial discrimination. On march 21, 1960, police officers in a black township in south africa opened fire on a. Most of the people who were killed were shot in the back, hit while running away. They did not hesitate to burn their reference books, and police eventually open fired on the crowd. The world judged apartheid to be morally bankrupt and the political agitation that ensued would eventually overturn white supremacy. On monday 21st march 1960, two days after the pan africanist congress pac a spinoff group of the african national congress anc announced that it would commence its own nationwide anti pass campaign in their johannesburg conference, members of the pac intentionally left their reference books passes at home, so that the south african police.
Sharpeville massacre simple english wikipedia, the free. Apartheid nelson mandela guide libguides at cornell. Mar 17, 2015 when the news of the sharpeville massacre reached cape town a group of between to 5000 protesters gathered at the langa flats bus terminus around 17h00 on 21 march 1960. They burnt their reference books and refused to put out the fire, which resulted in 67 deaths. Sharpeville massacre wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. Time magazine, 1960, the sharpeville massacre, time magazine online, 4 aprilapartheid legislation in south africa online, available at. Even so, at the beginning of 1960 there were only about 100 paidup pac members in sharpeville, although pac activists engaged in some energetic recruiting in the. The sharpeville massacre, as the event has become known, signalled the start of armed resistance in south africa, and prompted. Sharpeville is one of the oldest townships in southern gautengs vaal triangle. The event also played a role in south africas departure from the commonwealth of nations in 1961. Seven out of ten shot in the back at sharpeville archive. Seven out of ten shot in the back at sharpeville archive, 1960. Demonstrators discarding their passbooks to protest apartheid, 1960. Sharpeville massacre was turning point in antiapartheid.
The sharpeville massacre occurred on 21 march 1960, at the police station in the south african township of sharpeville in transvaal today part of gauteng after a day of demonstrations against pass laws, a crowd of about 7,000 protesters went to the police station. The south african police opened fire on the crowd, killing 69 people and injuring 180 others. May 12, 2011 the sharpeville massacre, as the event has become known, marked the start of armed resistance in south africa, and prompted worldwide condemnation of south africas apartheid policies. Sharpeville massacre, incident in the black township of sharpeville, near vereeniging, south africa, on march 21 1960, in which police fired on a crowd of black people, killing or wounding some 250 of them. Causes of the sharpeville massacre 1710 words bartleby. That dreadful day, 21 march 1960, was a turning point in south african history. Arch 1960 its historic significance the struggle against apartheid 7 jtote. Eyewitnesses said men, women and children fled like rabbits as up to 300 officers began randomly shooting into a 5,000strong crowd outside the municipal offices in. The sharpeville massacre, which occurred on march 21, 1960, in the township of sharpeville, south africa, was the incident that to that point resulted in the deaths of the largest number of south africans in a protest against apartheid it also came to symbolize that struggle.
As we drove through the fringes of the township many people shouted the panafricanist slogan izwe lethu, which means our land, or gave the thumbsup freedom salute and shouted afrika. On 21 march 1960 at least 180 black africans were injured there are claims of as many as 300 and 69 killed when south african police opened fire on approximately 300 demonstrators, who were protesting against the pass laws, at the township of sharpeville, near vereeniging in the transvaal. Sharpeville massacre, sharpeville, south africa, 1960 publisher oxford. On march 21, 1960, a line of 150 white policemen fired 44 rounds into a crowd of. When the marchers reached sharpevilles police station a heavy. In sharpeville people were waving at jets and throwing their hats in the air, they were impressed by the low flying jets and thought it to be an air force display. Although racial segregation had long been in practice there, the apartheid name was first used about 1948 to describe the racial segregation policies embraced by the white minority government. Sharpeville, a black suburb outside of vereeniging about fifty miles south of johannesburg.
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