Photos

Over 1,000 protesters marched through Cardiff to Cardiff Arms Park on 7 April 1984 to protest against the Welsh Rugby Union’s invitation to South African rugby boss Danie Craven to be guest of honour at a game between Wales and the President’s XI. Three Springboks played in the President’s team. The invitation provoked huge opposition. A ‘Charter Against Apartheid’ was signed by former prime minister and local MP James Callaghan, most Welsh MPs, church leaders, writers and trade unionists.

Demonstration outside the John Player rugby cup final at Twickenham on 28 April in protest against the Rugby Football Union’s tour of South Africa in May–June 1984. Student activists demonstrated at Heathrow on the day of the team’s departure. The tour went ahead in spite of a long-running campaign against it. The Conservative government expressed its opposition to the tour but took no action to stop it.

At a meeting at the Africa Centre in London on 24 May 1984, United Democratic Front (UDF) leader Mohammed Valli Moosa brought greetings from the UDF to the AAM. He said the UDF opposed President P W Botha’s forthcoming trip to Britain in June. Valli Moosa’s visit was the start of close cooperation between the AAM and the UDF in the 1980s.

The Greater London Council and the AAM held a press conference on 30 May 1984 to protest against the Conservative government’s invitation to South African President P W Botha to visit Britain. The GLC played a big role in the campaign against the visit, with national press ads, an anti-apartheid banner outside County Hall and an exhibition ‘Signs of Apartheid’ at the Royal Festival Hall. It sponsored a music festival in Jubilee Gardens after a march through London on 2 June. Left to right: Abdul Minty, Trevor Huddleston, GLC Labour Councillors Paul Boateng, Ken Livingstone, Bob Hughes and SDP-Liberal Alliance GLC Councillor Adrian Slade.

Three local councillors from London’s black community express their opposition to Botha’s visit to Britain in June 1984. Black organisations were prominent in the opposition to the visit. They formed a special mobilising committee and there were many articles in the London black press. The West Indian Standing Conference held on all-night vigil on 1–2 June.

At least 50,000 people marched through London on 2 June 1984 to tell South African President P W Botha he was not welcome in Britain.The demonstration was the beginning of an upsurge of anti-apartheid action which gathered pace for the rest of the decade.  Botha met Prime Minister Thatcher at her country house Chequers, instead of Downing Street, because of the scale of the protest. In the photograph are Deputy Labour Leader Roy Hattersley (left) with AAM Chair Bob Hughes MP and Liberal MP Simon Hughes.

At least 50,000 people marched through London on 2 June 1984 to tell South African President P W Botha he was not welcome in Britain. The demonstration was the beginning of an upsurge of anti-apartheid action which gathered pace for the rest of the decade.  Botha met Prime Minister Thatcher at her country house Chequers, instead of Downing Street, because of the scale of the protest.

At least 50,000 people marched through London on 2 June 1984 to tell South African President P W Botha he was not welcome in Britain. The demonstration was the beginning of an upsurge of anti-apartheid action which gathered pace for the rest of the decade.  Botha met Prime Minister Thatcher at her country house Chequers, instead of Downing Street, because of the scale of the protest.