Catalogue Number
NMLH.2019.106
Object Name
Banner
Title
Colchester Anti-Apartheid Group
Place
Colchester, Essex, South Africa
People
Anti-Apartheid Group
Events
Anti-Apartheid campaigns
Description
A black banner feature the Anti-Apartheid Movement logo - a double 'A' in a black and white Ying-Yang motif below the white text 'Colchester Anti-Apartheid Group'.
The Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM) opposed South African aparthied; a system of institutionalised racial segregation that ensured that the country was dominated politically, socially and economically by the minority white population. The movement began as the Boycott Movement in 1959, asking British people not to buy South African goods. The boycott gained widespread support from students, trade unions, and the Labour, Liberal and Communist parties. In 1960 the group was renamed the 'Anti-Apartheid Movement' following the Sharpeville massacre, when 69 unarmed protestors were shot dead by South African police, and the movement chose to move beyond simple boycotts.
The AAM led protests and vigils, including a 72-hour vigil outside the Commonwealth Secretariat venue in 1961 that led to South Africa being expelled from the Commonwealth. They were also instrumental in revealing racism in South African sports, which resulted in the suspension and eventual expulsion of South Africa from the Olympics. They also aimed to encourage economic sanctions, but never truly succeeded in this. The AAM grew into the biggest British pressure group on an international issue. The AAM operated until 1994, when South Africa held their first democratic elections.
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