This movement sought to overcome the subjugation the racist South African government and apartheid laws imposed on Blacks. This set the UN on the path towards the recognition of all human rights for all and, eventually, the establishment of the Human Rights Council and the Universal Periodic Review of the human rights performance of all states. 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 them. Along with other PAC leaders he was charged with incitement, but while on bail he left the country and went into exile. Half a century has passed but memories of the Sharpeville massacre still run deep. Its similar to an article in south africa that people have with racial segregation between black and white . Philip H. Frankel, An Ordinary Atrocity: Sharpeville and its Massacre (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001); Henry F. Jackson, From the Congo to Soweto: U.S. Foreign Policy Toward Africa Since 1960 (New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1982); Meredith Martin, The History of Apartheid: The Story of the Colour War in South Africa (New York: London House & Maxwell, 1962). A posseman. When protesters reconvened in defiance, the police charged at them with batons, tear gas and guns. Many people set out for work on bicycles or on foot, but some were intimidated by PAC members who threatened to burn their passes or "lay hands on them"if they went to work (Reverend Ambrose Reeves, 1966). This year, UN and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) joined South Africans in commemorating the 61st anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre, using the flagship campaign #FightRacism to promote awareness of these critical issues. Both organisations were deemed a serious threat to the safety of the public and the vote stood at 128 to 16 in favour of the banning. By 1960 the. In my own research on international human rights law, I looked to complexity theory, a theory developed in the natural sciences to make sense of the ways that patterns of behaviour emerge and change, to understand the way that international human rights law had developed and evolved. It authorized the limited use of arms and sabotage against the government, which got the governments attentionand its anger! On 21 March 1960, sixty-nine unarmed anti-pass protesters were shot dead by police and over 180 were injured. Accessible across all of today's devices: phones, tablets, and desktops. However, Foreign Consulates were flooded with requests for emigration, and fearful White South Africans armed themselves. p. 334- 336|Historical Papers Archive of the University of the Witwatersrand [online] Accessed at: wits.ac.za and SAHA archive [link no longer available]. As the protesters tried to flee the violent scene, police continued to shoot into the crowd. On March 21, 1960, without warning, South African police at Sharpeville, an African township of Vereeninging, south of Johannesburg, shot into a crowd of about 5,000 unarmed anti-pass protesters, killing at least 69 people - many of them shot in the back - and wounding . The University had tried to ban the protest; they handed out 12,000 leaflets saying the event was cancelled. T he Sharpeville massacre, the name given to the murder of 69 unarmed civilians by armed South African police, took place on 21 March 1960. But attempts to transform this non-binding moral declaration into a binding legal code were immediately bogged down in Cold War disputes. It is likely that the police were quick to fire as two months before the massacre, nine constables had been assaulted and killed, some disembowelled, during a raid at Cato Manor. Participants were instructed to surrender their reference books (passes) and invite arrest. When it seemed the whole group would cross, police took action, with mounted officers and volunteers arriving at 1:12 pm. In her moving poem Our Sharpeville she reflects on the atrocity through the eyes of a child. The term human rights was first used in the UN Charter in 1945. Following shortly, the Group Areas Act of 1950 was enacted as a new form of legislation alongside the Population Registration Act. Unlike elsewhere on the East Rand where police used baton when charging at resisters, the police at Sharpeville used live ammunition. Other evidence given to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission "the evidence of Commission deponents reveals a degree of deliberation in the decision to open fire at Sharpeville and indicates that the shooting was more than the result of inexperienced and frightened police officers losing their nerve. [9] The Sharpeville police were not completely unprepared for the demonstration, as they had already driven smaller groups of more militant activists away the previous night. The apartheid in South Africa which was in effect from 1948 until 1994 was not only a racist policy which greatly affected the quality of life of minorities in the country for the worse but was a outright crime against humanity. In response, a police officer shouted in Afrikaans skiet or nskiet (exactly which is not clear), which translates either as shot or shoot. The Sharpeville Massacre, 1960 Police Attack Demonstrators in Sharpeville, March 21, 1960 Few events loom larger in the history of the apartheid regime than those of the afternoon of March 21, 1960, in Sharpeville, South Africa. In the aftermath of the events of 21 March, mass funerals were held for the victims. But change can also be prompted by seemingly minor events in global affairs such as the Sharpeville massacre the so-called butterfly effect. When an estimated group of 5000 marchers reached Sharpeville police station, the police opened fire killing 69 people and injuring 180 others in what became known as the Sharpeville Massacre. In order to reduce the possibility of violence, he wrote a letter to the Sharpeville police commissioner announcing the upcoming protest and emphasizing that its participants would be non-violent. According to his "Testimony about the Launch of the Campaign," Sobukwe declared: At the press conference Sobukwe emphasized that the campaign should be conducted in a spirit of absolute non-violence and that the PAC saw it as the first step in Black people's bid for total independence and freedom by 1963 (Cape Times, 1960). It was one of the first and most violent demonstrations against apartheid in South Africa. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. During those five months roughly 25,000 people were arrested throughout the nation. Lancaster University provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation UK. The argument against apartheid was now framed as a specific manifestation of a wider battle for human rights, and it was the only political system mentioned in the convention: Nazism and antisemitism were not included. That day about 20,000 people gathered near the Sharpeville police station. It also came to symbolize that struggle. Furthermore, the history of the African civil rights movement validated: Nationalism has been tested in the peoples struggles . The Apartheid was initiated as a ploy for Europeans to better control the exploited populations for economic gain, as maintaining tension between the different racial classifications diverted attention from the Europeans as it fed hatred between groups. At its inaugural session in 1947, the UN Commission on Human Rights had decided that it had no power to take any action in regard to any complaints concerning human rights. Weve been busy, working hard to bring you new features and an updated design. On this 60th anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre, the world should remember the contingency and fragility of the international human rights law system that we so easily take for granted today. One of the insights was that international law does not change, unless there is some trigger for countries to change their behaviour. Although blood was not shed on Krogs hands directly, she took on the shame of her race. The row of graves of the 69 people killed by police at the Sharpeville Police Station on 21 March 1960. International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, "Outside South Africa there were widespread reactions to Sharpeville in many countries which in many cases led to positive action against South Africa"., E.g., "[I]mmediately following the Sharpeville massacre in South Africa, over 1000 students demonstrated in Sydney against the apartheid system"., United Nations Security Council Resolution 610, United Nations Security Council Resolution 615, "The Sharpeville Massacre A watershed in South Africa", "The photos that changed history Ian Berry; Sharpeville Massacre", "Sharpeville Massacre, The Origin of South Africa's Human Rights Day", "Influential religious leader with 70-years in ministry to be laid to rest", "The Sharpeville Massacre - A watershed in South Africa", "Macmillan, Verwoerd and the 1960 'Wind of Change' Speech", "Naming history's forgotten fighters: South Africa's government is setting out to forget some of the alliance who fought against apartheid. His protest was ignored, and the government turned a blind eye to the increasing protests from industrialists and leaders of commerce. As the number of UN members from Africa increased, the commission reversed its no power to act position and turned its attention to the human rights situation in South Africa. The Sharpsville Massacre was a seminal moment in the history of South Africa. Accounting & Finance; Business, Companies and Organisation, Activity; Case Studies; Economy & Economics; Marketing and Markets; People in Business The police assembled and used disproportionate responses to the protest. Within hours the news of the killing at Sharpeville was flashed around the world. The police were armed with firearms, including Sten submachine guns and LeeEnfield rifles. Sharpeville was much more than a single tragic event. Lined up outside was a large contingent of armed police with some atop armoured cars. [10] Some insight into the mindset of those on the police force was provided by Lieutenant Colonel Pienaar, the commanding officer of the police reinforcements at Sharpeville, who said in his statement that "the native mentality does not allow them to gather for a peaceful demonstration. They met a police line a few blocks from the Courthouse and were forbidden from proceeding because they did not have a parade permit (Reed 26). The Afrikaner poet Ingrid Jonker mentioned the Sharpeville Massacre in her verse. A United Nations photograph by Kay Muldoon, Courtesy of the International Defence and Aid Fund for Southern Africa, SATIS (Southern Africa - the Imprisoned Society). [12], Many White South Africans were also horrified by the massacre. NO FINE!" As a result of racial segregation, resistance from coloured people in both the United States and South Africa escalated. In Cape Town, an estimated 95% of the African population and a substantial number of the Coloured community joined the stay away. Confrontation in the township of Sharpeville, Gauteng Province. Migration is a human right, How the Sharpeville massacre changed the United Nations, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Up to 20% off & extra perks with Booking.com Genius Membership, $6 off a $50+ order with this AliExpress discount code, 10% off selected orders over 100 - eBay discount code, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK March 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this March, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. It's been 60 years since the Sharpeville massacre, when 69 unarmed civilians were killed by armed South African police on March 21 1960. The Department of Home Affairs (a government bureau) was responsible for the classification of the citizenry. Although this event in itself acted as a turning point in the struggle of black South Africans towards restoring dignity, but there were certain events which happened before Sharpeville massacre that caused widespread frustration and resentment in the black African community. By standing strong in the face of danger, the adults and children taking part in this demonstration were able to fight for their constitutional right to vote. But in the aftermath of the Sharpeville massacre, the UN adopted a more interventionist stance towards the apartheid state. On 24 March 1960, in protest of the massacre, Regional Secretary General of the PAC, Philip Kgosana, led a march of 101 people from Langa to the police headquarters in Caledon Square, Cape Town. What happened on 21 March in Sharpeville? Baileys African History. News reports about the massacre spread across the world. The commission completed this task, under the chairmanship of Eleanor Roosevelt, when it finalised the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. The adoption of the convention was quickly followed by two international covenants on economic, social and cultural rights and on civil and political rights in 1966, introduced to give effect to the rights in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. OHCHRs regional representative Abigail Noko used the opportunity to call on all decision-makers to give youth a seat at the decision-making table. At the end of the bridge, they were met by many law enforcement officers holding weapons; thus, the demonstrators were placing their lives in danger. It is also a day to reflect on the progress that has been made in ensuring basic human rights for all South Africans, as enshrined in our Constitution. According to an account from Humphrey Tyler, the assistant editor at Drum magazine: The police have claimed they were in desperate danger because the crowd was stoning them. Three people were killed and 26 others were injured. [6]:p.534, By 10:00, a large crowd had gathered, and the atmosphere was initially peaceful and festive. And then there are those who feel deeply involved and moved, but also powerless to deal with the enormity of the situation (Krog 221). Amid confusion, two shots were fired into the air by somebody in the crowd. During the shooting about 69 black people were killed. The campaign slogan was "NO BAIL! A deranged White man, David Pratt, made an assassination attempt on Dr. Verwoerd, who was seriously injured. The reactions of white South Africans to the revelations of the Truth Commission can be divided into two main groups There are those who refuse point-blank to take any responsibility and are always advancing reasons why the commission should be rejected and regarded as a costly waste of money. The significance of the date is reflected in the fact that. March 16 saw a demonstration in Montgomery, Alabama in which 580 demonstrators planned to march from the Jackson Street Baptist Church to the Montgomery County Courthouse (Reed 26). The OHCHR Regional Office for Southern Africa also produced a series of digital stories on the Sharpeville massacre and young peoples concerns about their human rights. This set the UN on the path towards the recognition of all human rights for all, and, eventually, the establishment of the Human Rights Council, and the Universal Periodic Review of the human rights performance of all states. On March 21, 1960. March 21 Massacre in Sharpeville In the Black township of Sharpeville, near Johannesburg, South Africa, Afrikaner police open fire on a group of unarmed Black South African demonstrators,. 1960 police killing of protesters in Transvaal (now Gauteng), South Africa. The Sharpeville massacre, the name given to the murder of 69 unarmed civilians by armed South African police, took place on 21 March 1960. Significant reshaping of international law is often the result of momentous occurrences, most notably the first and second world wars. On March 21st, 1960, the Pan Africanists Congress, an anti-Apartheid splinter organization formed in 1959, organized a protest to the National Partys pass laws which required all citizens, as well as native Africans, to carry identification papers on them at all times. The Sharpeville Massacre awakened the international community to the horrors of apartheid. The call for a stay away on 28 March was highly successful and was the first ever national strike in the countrys history. South Africa had already been harshly criticised for its apartheid policies, and this incident fuelled anti-apartheid sentiments as the international conscience was deeply stirred. The key developments were the adoption of Resolution 1235 in 1967, which allowed for the examination of complaints of gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms, as exemplified by the policy of apartheid, and Resolution 1503 in 1970, which allowed the UN to examine complaints of a consistent pattern of gross and reliably attested violations of human rights. The Sharpeville Massacre is commemorated through Human Rights Day, a public holiday in South Africa, which honours those whose lives were sacrificed in the fight for democracy. Other witnesses claimed there was no order to open fire, and the police did not fire a warning shot above the crowd. A lot of Afrikaners felt a sense of guilt for the behavior they allowed to happen from their race towards another. Dr. Verwoerd praised the police for their actions. The 1960 Sharpeville Massacre was the result of a peaceful protest regarding racist South African policies of apartheid. The presence of armoured vehicles and air force fighter jets overhead also pointed to unnecessary provocation, especially as the crowd was unarmed and determined to stage a non-violent protest. apartheid: aftermath of the deadly Sharpeville demonstration, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/event/Sharpeville-massacre, Canadian Museum for Human Rights - The Sharpeville Massacre, South African History Online - Sharpeville Massacre, Sharpeville massacre - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Sharpeville massacre - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). During this event 5,000 to 7,000 protesters went to the police station after a day of demonstrations, offering themselves for arrest for not carrying passbooks. Often times individuals feel proud to be a member of their group and it becomes an important part of how they view themselves and their identity. In the aftermath of the events of 21 March, mass funerals were held for the victims. These resolutions established two important principles: that the human rights provisions in the UN Charter created binding obligations for member states, and that the UN could intervene directly in situations involving serious violations of human rights. At this point the National Guard chose to disperse the crowd, fearing that the situation might get out of hand and grow into another violent protest. This angered the officers causing them to brutally attack and tear gas the demonstrators. The incident resulted in the largest number of South African deaths (up to that point) in a protest against apartheid. In addition other small groups of PAC activists presented themselves at police stations in Durban and East London. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}264118S 275219E / 26.68833S 27.87194E / -26.68833; 27.87194. The massacre also sparked hundreds of mass protests by black South Africans, many of which were ruthlessly and violently crushed by the South African police and military. The argument against apartheid was now framed as a specific manifestation of a wider battle for human rights and it was the only political system mentioned in the 1965 Race Convention: nazism and antisemitism were not included. 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 them. [6]:pp.14,528 From the 1960s, the pass laws were the primary instrument used by the state to detain and harass its political opponents. As the campaign went on, the apartheid government started imposing strict punishments on people who violated the segregationist laws. Many thousands of individuals applied for the amnesty program and a couple thousand testified through the course of 2 years. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. It was one of the first and most violent demonstrations against apartheid in South Africa. Everyone should have an equal rights and better community . By the 25 March, the Minister of Justice suspended passes throughout the country and Chief Albert Luthuli and Professor Z.K. Many of the contemporary issues in South Africa can easily be associated with the apartheid laws which devastated the country. However, the nations mentality needed work - though the popularity of Civil Rights was rising, many riots and racial hate crimes continued to occur throughout the country, with many casualties resulting from them (infoplease.com). Let's Take Action Towards the Sustainable Development Goals. People often associate their behavior and actions from the groups they belong to. All Rights Reserved. A new, third level of content, designed specially to meet the advanced needs of the sophisticated scholar. The impact of the events in Cape Town were felt in other neighbouring towns such as Paarl, Stellenbosch, Somerset West and Hermanus as anti-pass demonstrations spread. Even so and estimated 2000 to 3000 people gathered on the Commons. The PAC argued that if thousands of people were arrested, then the jails would be filled and the economy would come to a standstill. Although the protests were anticipated, no one could have predicted the consequences and the repercussions this would have for South African and world politics. "[18][19], Since 1994, 21 March has been commemorated as Human Rights Day in South Africa. Many people need to know that indiviual have their own rights in laws and freedom . Omissions? Nearly 300 police officers arrived to put an end to the peaceful protest. He became South Africa's . The police also have said that the crowd was armed with 'ferocious weapons', which littered the compound after they fled. In Pretoria a small group of six people presented themselves at the Hercules police station. Attending a protest in peaceful defiance of the apartheid regime, Selinah and many other young people were demonstrating against pass laws designed to restrict and control the movement and employment of millions of Black South Africans.