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Mandela on the march: twenty-five freedom marchers, one for each year of Mandela’s imprisonment, walked 590 miles from Glasgow to London, 12 June–17 July 1988. The march was part of the AAM’s ‘Nelson Mandela: Freedom at 70’ campaign. Local supporters organised meetings and events in the 40 cities and towns they passed along the way.

The Nelson Mandela freedom marchers carried a giant birthday cake through York in the Lord Mayor’s parade in June 1988. Twenty-five freedom marchers, one for each year of Mandela’s imprisonment, walked 590 miles from Glasgow to London. The march was part of the AAM’s ‘Nelson Mandela: Freedom at 70’ campaign. Local supporters organised meetings and events in the 40 cities and towns they passed along the way.

Thousands of demonstrators marched through central London on 17 July 1988 to a rally attended by 250,000 people in Hyde Park. The rally was the climax of the AAM’s ‘Nelson Mandela: Freedom at 70’ campaign and the biggest ever anti-apartheid demonstration in Britain.

From the early 1970s the AAM published comprehensive lists of British companies with subsidiaries in South Africa and Namibia. It asked organisations like trade unions, church groups, local authorities and universities to disinvest from companies that had a significant stake in the apartheid economy. 

Letter from Archbishop Trevor Huddleston asking Prime Minister Thatcher to meet the freedom marchers who walked from Glasgow to London as part of the AAM’s ‘Nelson Mandela: Freedom at 70’ campaign. The British government changed its attitude in response to the growing campaign for Mandela’s freedom and by 1988 was calling for his unconditional release.

Poster for the rally held in Hyde Park, London on Sunday 17 July as the culmination of the AAM’s ‘Nelson Mandela: Freedom at 70’ campaign. A crowd of 250,000 heard Archbishop Desmond Tutu, SWAPO Secretary General Andimba Toivo ja Toivo, Commonwealth Secretary General Shridath Ramphal and actor Richard Attenborough call for Mandela’s release. After the rally an overnight vigil was held outside South African House to see in Mandela’s birthday on 18 July.

This leaflet advertised a rally in Hyde Park held on 17 July 1988, the eve of Mandela’s 70th birthday, as the culmination of the ‘Nelson Mandela Freedom at 70’ campaign. A quarter of a million people heard Desmond Tutu call for Mandela’s release. Other speakers were AAM President Archbishop Trevor Huddleston, SWAPO leader Andimba Toivo ja Toivo, Sir Richard Attenborough and ANC representative Mendi Msimang.

This multilingual leaflet publicised the rally in Hyde Park held on 17 July 1988, the eve of Mandela’s 70th birthday, as the culmination of the ‘Nelson Mandela Freedom at 70’ campaign. It was produced by the AAM Women’s Committee. The rally was attended by around 250,000 people.