All that changed following the worlds moral outrage at the killings. Sobukwe was only released in 1969. 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. These protestors included a large number of northern college students. The commission completed this task, under the chairmanship of Eleanor Roosevelt, when it finalised the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. [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. Pheko, M. (2000) Focus: 'Lest We Forget Sharpeville', The Sowetan, 20 March. [2] In present-day South Africa, 21 March is celebrated as a public holiday in honour of human rights and to commemorate the Sharpeville massacre. After demonstrating against pass laws, a crowd of about 7,000 protesters went to the police station. Sharpeville Massacre, The Origin of South Africa's Human Rights Day [online], available at: africanhistory.about.com [accessed 10 March 2009]|Thloloe, J. In March 1960, Robert Sobukwe, a leader in the anti-apartheid Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC) organized the towns first anti-apartheid protest. Police were temporarily paralyzed with indecision. In Cape Town, an estimated 95% of the African population and a substantial number of the Coloured community joined the stay away. According to his "Testimony about the Launch of the Campaign," Sobukwe declared: To read more witness accounts of the Sharpeville Massacre, click on the, According to an account from Humphrey Tyler, the assistant editor at, Afrikaner Nationalism, Anglo American and Iscor: formation of Highveld Steel and Vanadium Corporation, 1960-70 in Business History", The Sharpeville Massacre: Its historic significance in the struggle against apartheid, The PAC's War against the State 1960-1963, in The Road to Democracy in South Africa: 1960-1970, The Sharpeville Massacre - A watershed in SouthAfrica, Saluting Sharpevilles heroes, and South Africa's human rights, New Books | Robert Sobukwes letters from prison, South African major mass killings timeline 1900-2012, Origins: Formation, Sharpeville and banning, 1959-1960, 1960-1966: The genesis of the armed struggle, Womens resistance in the 1960s - Sharpeville and its aftermath, Eyewitness accounts of the Sharpeville massacre 1960, List of victims of police action, 21 March, 1960 (Sharpeville and Langa), A tragic turning-point: remembering Sharpeville fifty years on by Paul Maylam, Apartheid: Sharpeville Massacre, 21 March 1960, Commission of Enquiry into the Occurrences at Sharpeville (and other places) on the 21st March, 1960, Volume 1, Johannesburg, 15 June 1960, Commission of Enquiry into the Occurrences at Sharpeville (and other places) on the 21st March, 1960, Volume 2, Johannesburg, 15 June 1960, Documents, and articles relating to the Sharpeville Massacre 1960, Editorial comment: The legacy of Sharpeville, From Our Vault: Sharpeville, A Crime That Still Echoes by J Brooks Spector, 21 March 2013, South Africa, Message to the PAC on Sharpeville Day by Livingstone Mqotsi, Notes on the origins of the movement for Sanctions against South Africa by E.S. A United Nations photograph by Kay Muldoon, Courtesy of the International Defence and Aid Fund for Southern Africa, SATIS (Southern Africa - the Imprisoned Society). He was followed by Dr. Yusuf Dadoo, Chairperson of the South African Indian Congress and Chairperson of the underground South African Communist Party. This march is seen by many as a turning point in South African history. Half a century has passed but memories of the Sharpeville massacre still run deep. When it seemed the whole group would cross, police took action, with mounted officers and volunteers arriving at 1:12 pm. During the Eisenhower administration, Congress passed two measures that proved to be ineffective: the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and the Civil Rights Act of 1960. 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. The Sharpeville massacre. This detailed act separated tribes based on ethnics; consequently, further detailing segregation amongst the natives . The event was an inspiration for painter Oliver Lee Jackson in his Sharpeville Series from the 1970s.[23]. 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 South African governments repressive measures in response to the Sharpeville Massacre, however, intensified and expended the opposition to apartheid, ushering in three decades of resistance and protest in the country and increasing condemnation by world leaders. [16], The Sharpeville massacre contributed to the banning of the PAC and ANC as illegal organisations. It had wide ramifications and a significant impact. 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). International sympathy lay with the African people, leading to an economic slump as international investors withdrew from South Africa and share prices on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange plummeted. The events also prompted theInternational Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discriminationwhich took effect on 4 January 1969. Britannica does not review the converted text. 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. The Minister of Justice called for calm and the Minister of Finance encouraged immigration. The Sharpeville Massacre awakened the international community to the horrors of apartheid. There was no evidence that anyone in the gathering was armed with anything other than stones. 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. The 1960 Sharpeville Massacre was the result of a peaceful protest regarding racist South African policies of apartheid. In response, a police officer shouted in Afrikaans skiet or nskiet (exactly which is not clear), which translates either as shot or shoot. Another officer interpreted this as an order and opened fire, triggering a lethal fusillade as 168 police constables followed his example. Please note: Text within images is not translated, some features may not work properly after translation, and the translation may not accurately convey the intended meaning. As the small crowd approached the station, most of the marchers, including Sobukwe, were arrested and charged with sedition. A robust humanrights framework is the only way to provide a remedy for those injustices, tackle inequality and underlying structural differences, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Improved homework resources designed to support a variety of curriculum subjects and standards. This translates as shot or shoot. Early on that March morning, demonstrations against the pass laws, which restricted the rights of apartheid South Africas majority black population, had begun in Sharpeville, a township in Transvaal. In 1960, states had no binding international human rights obligations and there were no oversight mechanisms. By lunchtime, the crowd outside the police station had grown to an estimated 20,000 people. The victims included about 50 women and children. and [proved to be] the only antidote against foreign rule and modern imperialism (Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom 2008, 156) . Robert Sobukwe and other leaders were arrested and detained after the Sharpeville massacre, some for nearly three years after the incident. The massacre was photographed by photographer Ian Berry, who initially thought the police were firing blanks. 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. Find out what the UN in South Africa is doing towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. By 9 April the death toll had risen to 83 non-White civilians and three non-White police officers. A posseman. That date now marks the International Day for the. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. "[18][19], Since 1994, 21 March has been commemorated as Human Rights Day in South Africa. 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. In the aftermath of the events of 21 March, mass funerals were held for the victims. This day is now commemorated annually in South Africa as a public . Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Its been 60 years since dozens of protesters were killed at a peaceful anti-apartheid rally in South Africa. In response, a police officer shouted in Afrikaans skiet or nskiet (exactly which is not clear). The people of South Africa struggle day by day to reverse the most cruel, yet well-crafted, horrific tactic of social engineering. The concept behind apartheid emerged in 1948 when the nationalist party took over government, and the all-white government enforced racial segregation under a system of legislation . Police officers attempted to use tear gas to repel these advances, but it proved ineffectual, and the police fell back on the use of their batons. But in the aftermath of the Sharpeville massacre, the UN adopted a more interventionist stance to the apartheid state. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. In March 1960 the Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC), an antiapartheid party, organized nationwide protests against South Africas pass laws. In 1960 it was the site of one of the earliest and most violent demonstrations against apartheid. The term human rights was first used in the UN Charter in 1945. The subject of racial discrimination in South Africa was raised at the UN General Assembly in its first session, in 1946, in the form of a complaint by India concerning the treatment of Indians in the country. Business Studies. Our work on the Sustainable Development Goals. The protesters offered themselves up for arrest for not carrying their passes. Under this system there was an extended period of gruesome violence against individuals of colored skin in South Africa. His protest was ignored, and the government turned a blind eye to the increasing protests from industrialists and leaders of commerce. The University had tried to ban the protest; they handed out 12,000 leaflets saying the event was cancelled. 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.