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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:'A Great Cause': The Origins of the Anti-Apartheid Movement, June, 1959-March, 1960
Author:Gurney, ChristabelISNI
Year:2000
Periodical:Journal of Southern African Studies
Volume:26
Issue:1
Period:March
Pages:123-144
Language:English
Geographic term:South Africa
Subjects:apartheid
economic sanctions
Politics and Government
Ethnic and Race Relations
Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups)
Law, Human Rights and Violence
External link:https://www.jstor.org/stable/2637553
Abstract:On 26 June 1959, South African Freedom Day, exiled South Africans and their British supporters held a meeting in London under the auspices of the Committee of African Organizations (CAO) in order to call for a boycott of goods imported from South Africa. In South Africa, the ANC had asked to observe 26 June as a 'Day of Denial' by not buying anything in the shops. The London meeting reflected the aim of internationalizing the boycott campaign. This paper sketches the agitation and debates surrounding the calls for a boycott in Britain in the months following this meeting. A network of organizations and individuals campaigned on interlinked issues: peace and nuclear disarmament, racism, and freedom for the UK's colonies, particularly in Africa. This network included the Movement for Colonial Freedom, the CAO, the Christian Action of Canon John Collins, sections of the Labour Party, and the British Communist Party. It was felt important to develop a broad base of support. Therefore, the boycott campaign, which culminated in the boycott month starting on 28 February 1960, stressed that it was a moral crusade of individual protest. Its aim was to influence rather than overthrow the South African government. The shootings at Sharpeville on 21 March changed this situation. The Boycott Movement became the Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM), which in April 1960 called for international economic sanctions. The article is based on the AAM Archives and interviews. Notes, ref., sum.
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